Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
by dudelove85
Summary: Fourteen years ago Cosima Niehaus lost her childhood sweetheart in a tragic accident. Just when Cosima thought her life couldn't get any stranger she bumps into Clara Oswald, a woman who looks exactly like her old girlfriend, sending her off on a trip down memory. Her first instinct is that Clara is the result of another cloning project. If only the truth was that simple...
1. Blast From The Past

_Chapter 1 – Blast From The Past_

Nestling on the banks of Lake Ontario, the Canadian city of Toronto was enjoying a bright, sunny day. There was barely a breeze in the air so the people walking through the Downtown area were surprised to be hit with a sudden gust of air that seemed to circulate down the street. A couple of people could hear a metallic sound, similar to a chain grinding across a set of gears but they paid no attention to the noise. If they had looked carefully, they would've seen a 1960's style British Police Box materialising out of nowhere down a narrow side alley.

The Police Box solidified in the alley and moments later, a young man flung the door open, "Ah sunny Rio", he said cheerfully and stepped outside. He was dressed in a dark pair of trousers, blue shirt and a dark waistcoat. Thrown over his clothes was a dark purple velvet dress coat that he smoothed out with each step. He paused at the end of the alley and adjusted his bowtie, "If we're quick we should be able to get a place on the beach", he added, brushing his floppy brown hair away from his eyes.

Another person stepped out of the box and closed the door behind them, a young woman in her mid twenties. She had shoulder length brown hair with a slight kink that hung loose around her shoulders. The woman was wearing a red dress that stopped just below her knees. This was teamed with a dark pair of tight and flat ankle boots. A grey hooded cardigan and her trusty red shoulder bag completed her looked. "Funny", she began, "I would've thought Rio would be a little warmer". She rubbed her arms, even with the extra layer she was still feeling the cold.

"Must be an atmospheric disturbance", the man brushed off her concerns, "localised ionic storm, oversize cloud, something like that", he waived his hands around with each word, "trust me Clara, I've got this right this time".

"That's what you said the other three times", Clara replied, sighing with exasperation. She joined her travelling companion and took a good look at the city. They had landed in the commercial area of the city. The retail buildings hung close the pedestrian street, giving the illusion of a canyon made out of concrete and glass. Clara paused and inspected the large structure that loomed over. She chuckled to herself and shook her head, "Correct me if I'm wrong Doctor but isn't Rio overlooked by the statue of Christ the Redeemer".

"Course it is", The Doctor replied, "I was there when they laid the foundation stone", he reminisced, "the architect still owes me a hundred pesos and a chicken". He clapped his hands together and smiled, "I really need to stop gambling with poultry, becoming a bit of a habit".

"Not to burst your bubble chin boy", Clara snorted, "but we're not in Rio".

"Don't be ridiculous", he turned round to face the brunette woman, "what makes you say-". He voice trailed off when he spotted the same structure Clara had noticed. It was a concrete and steel spire that stretched hundreds of feet into the air, interrupted by a bulbous glass platform three quarters of the way up, "Well who put that there", he chuckled, running his hands through his hair in embarrassment.

"That's the CN Tower", Clara pointed at the structure, "which means we're in Toronto, not Rio".

"Always did have a problem with Rio", The Doctor mumbled to himself, "but this is good, I know a fantastic pancake house in this time period. The owner used some special imports from the third moon of Durillo, makes the dish just come alive".

Clara had tuned out The Doctor's ramblings, focusing instead on a discarded newspaper on a nearby bench. She took one look at the date and turned sharply back towards her friend, "Yeah I don't think that place you're talking about is open". Clara slapped the paper against The Doctor's chest, "It's May 23rd 2014, not only have you lost Rio but you've missed the twenty third century by three hundred years". She rolled her eyes and began backing away down the street, "Basically you've brought me somewhere I could've reached by plane".

The Doctor dropped the paper on the ground, "Oops", he whispered, "Clara wait, I can make this up to you". He tried to catch up with Clara but she was walking at a furious pace, forcing him to break into a jog.

This was one of the problems when you were a wonderer in the fourth dimension, sometimes you took a wrong turning in the Time Vortex and missed your destination by several hundred years. The Doctor was an alien, the last of the Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey. His companion, Clara Oswald, was a school teacher living in London. Together they travelled through time and space in a machine called the TARDIS, or a snog box as Clara once nicknamed it.

The relationship between the pair was an interesting one. From Clara's point of view, everything between them was purely platonic. She did have eyes though and sometimes her gaze did linger on the Time Lord for a little longer than necessary. Sometimes Clara caught him looking back in return and if she was honest, she enjoyed the attention. The Doctor though was bad boyfriend material, he was easily the most eccentric person that she had ever met. That was fascinating to a point but it wasn't the basis of a romantic relationship. The Time Lord was her best friend and that's all he would ever be to her. Whether he thought any differently, that was a topic she hadn't really brought up with him.

As the pair moved briskly toward the corner of an intersection, they were on a collision course with another woman. She was a similar size to Clara, maybe an inch or two taller. Like the British woman she was wearing a dark red dress and dark tights. She had a black coat but this was unbuttoned at the waist. Her brown hair was matted together into dreadlocks that were tied back into a bun. She had a pink coloured mobile phone pressed against her ear, "Don't worry about me Felix, I'm just getting some fresh air", she spoke down the phone with a soft American accent.

" _You don't need to tell me that Cos",_ the man on the other end of the phone responded with a heavy British accent, " _but Sarah asked me to check up on you"._

Cosima Niehaus pushed her dark framed glasses up and rubbed her eyes, making sure not to smudge her heavy eye makeup, _"_ It's just a walk around the block, I need to get out of DYAD Headquarters for a while. No need for Sarah to call the cavalry and come charging in with all guns blazing".

Felix sighed audibly down the phone, " _I know that but she worries about you",_ he paused for a moment before adding, " _we all do Cos, especially with your illness you should really be taking it easy"._

"Nothing about our life is easy Felix", Cosima replied sadly. That was a major understatement from the woman. She was the result of a cloning project run during the early 80's, an extreme experiment to test the nature versus nurture theory. She had grown up in San Francisco, totally ignorant of her cloned status until she had accidently stumbled across this piece of information a few years ago. It was a lot for the young woman to take it, discovering that you're not completely unique in the world.

To help her come to terms with her cloned biology, she had reached out to two other clones. The first one she encountered was a Detective named Beth Childs in the Canadian city of East York. Beth introduced her to another clone, Alison Hendrix who lived in a nearby city. Despite sharing the same DNA, the three women were completely different from each other. Beth was a fitness fanatic and a workaholic whereas Alison was a suburban 'Soccer Mom' with two adopted children.

In contrast to Beth and Alison, Cosima was more a free spirit. Her adopted parents were extremely liberal, turning a blind eye to her recreational marijuana habit along with the string of questionable relationships she had turning her late teens and early twenties. Cosima had sexual relationships with both men and women, preferring to love the person rather than focusing on what gender they were. She was also a gifted scientist and until a few months ago she had been an honour student at the University of Minnesota.

It was about that time when everything began to unravel. Firstly Beth committed suicide, unable to cope with the knowledge of being a clone coupled with the news that someone was killing off her fellow clones across Europe. Shortly after this another clone, Sarah Manning, came crashing into her life and the rollercoaster ride truly began. The company currently running the cloning project, DYAD, had set their sights on Sarah's daughter. Things were complicated by the fact that DYAD was sponsoring Cosima's PhD. That should've created a conflict of interest but her loyalties were firmly with the women she had come to identify as her sisters. Sarah's foster brother, Felix Dawkins, rounded out the motley crew they had dubbed 'Clone Club'.

If life wasn't already complicated enough, Cosima had recently been struck down with a rehabilitating lung condition. The cloning process had been flawed and her lung tissue was literally breaking down. Despite her hours of research, Cosima had yet to find a cure and time was running out. The periods between painful coughing fits were getting shorter and she could feel herself getting weaker every day. Focusing on her research kept her mind away from her own mortality but Cosima was beginning to get desperate. The next attack could be her last, she was walking a tight rope and she was close to losing her balance.

Cosima was so focused on her conversation with Felix that she wasn't watching where she was going. Just as she reached the corner, someone bumped straight into her. In her weakened state, Cosima tumbled to the ground, dropping her phone and landing hard on her hands, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry", a soft British voice called out.

"No biggie", Cosima waived her away, "I totally wasn't watching where I was going".

"Still at least let me help you up", the woman attached to the voice crouched down next to Cosima. The dreadlocked woman immediately froze when her eyes met the dark brown eyes of this mystery woman. Her breath caught in her chest as a wave of long forgotten memories washed over her. She recognised that face but she couldn't be here, it was absolutely impossible. "Hello, you still with me", the woman waived her hand in front of Cosima's face.

"Erm, yeah", Cosima managed to stutter, "I'm completely fine", she quickly stood up and grabbed her fallen phone, "look I need to go", she moved as quickly as she could, crossing the street before the woman had a chance to stop her.

"Ah Clara, finally caught up", The Doctor wheezed breathlessly, "what are you doing down there?" he asked when he noticed her crouched down.

Clara watched the woman with dreadlocks hobbling down the street with a frown on her face. The woman had been desperate to get away from her but Clara had absolutely no idea why. It could've been for something she hadn't done yet, one of the downsides of being a time traveller. There was something about the woman though, a familiar sensation but she couldn't quite place her, "Just admiring the view", Clara finally replied.

"Well no time for that", The Doctor dragged Clara to her feet, "it might not be the twenty third century but there must be a decent pancake house in the city somewhere". Clara gave him a weak smile, still distracted by her encounter with that woman.

Across the other side of the street, Cosima moved as quickly as she could but her damaged lungs soon began to burn. She slowed to a stop and bend over, placing her hands on her knees. She glanced behind her and noticed that the woman she had run into was now speaking with a weirdly dressed man. Their conversation was brief until they began to move in the opposite direction. She was so lost in her memories that she had completely forgotten about Felix on the other end of her phone, _"Cos",_ he cried, " _are you alright"._

Cosima shakily brought her phone back up to her ear, "Yeah Felix, I'm here".

" _What the hell was happened?"_ he asked with a concerned voice, _"I heard a massive crash, I thought you might've had a fit or something"._

"No, just bumped into someone on the street", she replied absentmindedly.

" _You alright Cos?"_ Felix replied, _"you sound more spaced out than usual"._

Cosima didn't reply for a moment, the eyes of that woman had taken her back to her teenage years. Back in San Francisco during her mid teens she had a girlfriend, someone who fully helped her accept her sexuality. Tragically this girl died when she was still a teenager but Cosima never forgot her, "Felix, did I ever tell you about my first love", she asked.

" _All the time, it's sickening really",_ Felix said with a hint of humour in his voice, _"bad enough I had to see you lezzing it up with Frenchie but to hear you going on about what you and Cassandra use to get up to-"_

"Cassie", Cosima interrupted him, "she preferred to go by Cassie", she drifted away for a moment before whispering, "Cassie Oswald". She had come across several mysteries in the last couple of years but this one topped the lot. This mystery woman was identical to Cassie, except that she was about ten years older. Could they have another batch of clones wondering around the planet?

 _ **A/N –**_ _Ever had an idea that literally dominates your thought process and the only way to get it out of your head is to commit it to paper? This is exactly what happened with this story. Basic premise is that one of Clara's echoes was Cosima's childhood sweet who died many years ago and what would happen if the real Clara crashed back into town. Setting is post "Day Of The Doctor" for Doctor Who and towards the end of season 2 of Orphan Black. I do plan on adding more chapters but it will be sporadic. Enjoy._


	2. The Ballard of Cassie Oswald

_Chapter 2 – The Ballard of Connie Oswald_

After getting off the phone with Felix, Cosima didn't feel like going back to work straight away. Instead she headed straight for her friend's apartment a few minutes away from the Downtown area. Felix had gone out since hanging up the phone but fortunately Cosima had a key and was able to let herself in. She sat alone surrounded by several paintings Felix had done of herself, Sarah, Alison and their errant _sestra_ Helena. The encounter with the woman that looked like her former childhood sweetheart had stirred up several long forgotten feelings inside the PhD student. It had taken her a long time to get over Cassie death and seeing that woman had opened up that old wound. Cosima tugged idly at her dreads, wondering if she had truly gotten over her loss.

Cosima wasn't sure how long she had been sitting on Felix's uncomfortable couch before she summoned up the strength to get to her feet. She felt a little light headed for a moment, swaying gently on the spot. Once she was confident that she was going to stay upright, Cosima went to one of the cupboards and retrieved a large wine glass. Her next step was to rummage through Felix's fridge to find something appropriate to drink. She found an opened bottle of white wine and gave it a quick sniff to make sure it was still safe to consume. Cosima poured herself a healthy amount of alcohol and took a long sip from the glass. She probably shouldn't be drinking at this time of day, probably not at all with the amount of medication she was taking. Right now though she didn't care, alcohol was just what she needed to numb the raw emotional wound that had been opened up.

With half the glass gone, Cosima dropped back onto the sofa with a heavy plop. She began twisting her fingers together, an old habit from her childhood. Whenever she was feeling nervous or vulnerable, she would play around with her hands. It was Cassie who told her to turn that little habit into a positive. Now whenever Cosima was talking passionately about something, her hands would wave around uncontrollably. Contrary to what everyone else thought, this trait helped her overcome any anxiety she had. At this moment in time she needed to do something, anything to keep her hands occupied.

Reaching down to the side of the sofa, she found her colourfully decorated laptop. She booted it up and immediately when to the photograph section on her hard drive. The first picture she opened up was one of her and Cassie together. It was taken on December 26 1999, just six days before Cassie died. Cosima had to smile at the picture, her hair lacked her trademark dreads instead she had a number of braids with colourful beads woven in, "God what was I thinking", Cosima chuckled at her sixteen year old self's fashion sense.

Her attention then turned towards Cassie and almost instinctively, she rubbed her thumb against her cheek. The girl on the screen did look slightly different to the woman she had bumped into today. Cassie's hair was a slightly lighter colour with a few blonde streaks, as was the fashion in the late nineties. Her face was a little broader but any amount of weight loss could've given her the same features as the other woman.

She clicked through a few more pictures from their last Christmas together. Most of them were of the young couple unwrapping their presents but one in particular stood out. Cassie had her hand placed gently on Cosima cheek and was smiling warmly. It was the look that she was giving Cosima, so full of warmth and love, that really got to Cosima. As she wiped a tear away from her cheek, the scientist realised that she still missed Cassie.

"Oi you cheeky bugger", Felix's voice rang out in the apartment, "who said you could drink my booze?" Cosima didn't turn around, instead her shoulders began to shudder slightly as her tears began to fall a little harder. Felix's face immediately softened and he placed his bag on the floor before joining Cosima on the couch, "Hey, don't cry Cos", he placed an arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the temple. At first it was weird, meeting several women with the same face as his foster sister but Felix had grown to care for all the clones. Now he counted himself lucky that he was several sister's in his life.

"Sorry Felix", Cosima wiped her tears away, "I don't know why this had gotten to me so much". She dried the last of her tears with the end of her sleeve, "It was nearly fifteen years ago, I should be over this by now".

Felix patted her on the knee, "If you wanna talk then I'm all ears".

Cosima gave him a watery smile, "Thanks", she began, "this might come as a surprise to you but I wasn't the most popular kid at school".

"Really", Felix placed his hand against his chest in an exaggerated fashion, "popular kids are mean to the smart one, what a newsflash", he added sarcastically.

Cosima had to laugh at the man's antics, "Yeah and that was before they found out I was into chicks, so you can imagine the hell my life was when they did". She took a deep breath and continued, "Cassie was in the grade above me and one day she comes across me in the halls getting picked on by the cheerleaders".

"Lemme guess", Felix replied, "big butch Cassie threatens to kick all of their arses".

"Cassie wasn't butch", she finds a picture of the two of them standing together. Cassie was a few inches shorter than Cosima with a similar build, "She had this intensity about her, the words she said had real weight behind them. Just one look from little Cassie was enough to send them running". She smiled at the memory of their first meeting, it was hilarious watching the popular cheerleaders running for cover from a girl barely over five foot tall. "We got talking and I discovered she liked girls as well", she shrugged, "guess the rest is history".

Felix quickly snatched the wine glass out of Cosima's hand, talking a swig for himself before handing it back, "What happened to her Cos?"

Cosima hesitated for a moment before answering, "It was New Year's Eve 1999, we were at her place and we just had the most amazing-", Felix coughed and shook his head, "right, sorry you probably want to hear about that". She glanced back at her laptop and continued, "It was just before midnight and suddenly she tells me that she had to go. I begged her to stay but she insists on leaving, even offered to go with her. Cassie told me that she would be fine", her voice trailed off, the pain of recalling these memories was etched on her face. "I got a call from her parents the following morning, she never made it home. Next thing I know the SFPD turn up on my doorstep, apparently Cassie got caught up in some freak electrical storm and was killed instantly".

"Cos I'm so sorry", Felix said softly.

"The Police ruled it an accident", Cosima continued, "but even they couldn't explain fully the circumstances of her death". She paused to find another picture on her computer. It was a grainy security camera image of a man with curly hair in his mid thirties. Felix frowned slightly, the man must've come from a costume party as he was dressed like a Victorian gentleman, "This man was seen in the same area that Cassie died but no one could find him afterwards. It was like he just disappeared into thin air".

Felix leaned back in his seat, someone about this was sounding suspicious, "I kept a record of the police reports, even found a copy of the death certificate signed by a Doctor Grace Holloway", Cosima added, "but everyone just kept telling me I was grieving".

"Now you know about Project Leda, you suspect there's more to her death than meets the eye", Felix filled in the gaps himself.

Cosima nodded, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid", she snorted, "getting hounded by DYAD for months does kinda mess with your head", she downed the rest of her wine in one gulp.

"Hey easy with that", Felix snatched the glass away from her head and placed it on the floor. He noticed the slumped body language of the dreadlocked woman and could almost feel the maelstrom of emotions rolling off her. He reached for his bag and hesitated for a moment about showing her the contents. It could give her some closure or it could drive her even further down the conspiracy theory route. "Cos I've got some pictures for you", he decided it was best not to hide this information from her, "traffic camera pictures from the spot where you bumped into your mystery woman".

The scientist slowly took them from him, "How did you get hold of these so quickly?"

"Best not to ask", Felix gave her a cheeky smile, "but let's just say I enjoyed every minute of it", he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Slightly disturbed by her friend's tactics, she slowly turned away from him and compared the traffic camera photos to the one's she had of Cassie. There was no doubt about it, these two were identical, "Too much to hope for that Cassie had a long lost twin sister?" Felix asked.

"After the year we've had, that would be too much to ask", Cosima sighed. Their discussion was interrupted by Cosima's phone ringing. The moment she checked the caller ID, her heart sank, "Great, that's all I need", she groaned.

Felix looked over her shoulder, "Burgh, she who must not be named", she said with disgust.

Cosima steeled herself for a moment before answering the call, "Hello".

" _Cosima, taking an extremely long lunch break are we?"_ a cold and clipped English voice said down the phone.

"Sorry Rachel I wasn't feeling too well", Cosima rubbed her eyes, that wasn't a total lie, "I thought Scottie was going to tell you".

" _I would've preferred to hear it from you",_ the woman replied, _"but since you're sounding much better know, I trust you're going to rejoin us shortly"._ Without waiting for a reply the woman hung up, leaving Cosima in no doubt that her presence was demanded and non negotiable.

"The Ice Queen has spoken", Cosima groaned and slowly stood up, "do me a favour Felix, don't mention this to Alison or Sarah. I don't want to freak them out until I've got more information".

Felix reluctantly nodded his head in agreement, "Alright Cos, whatever you want". Cosima smiled and slowly left the apartment, sliding the door shut behind her.

Across the city in DYAD Headquarters, Rachel Duncan reclined slightly in her chair. Her office was a little bit like the woman herself, cold and clinical. Everything about her was immaculate, down to the crisp lines on her skirt suit and her angular bob hairstyle. Like Cosima and the others, Rachel was a Project Leda clone but she was the one in charge of the project for DYAD. Over the last few weeks, she had come into conflict with Sarah Manning over the rebellious clone's daughter. Rachel wanted Kira for research purposes, something that Sarah stated would only happen 'over her dead body'. Rachel was reluctant to take Sarah's statement literally but if she kept defying her company, then she might just be force to make that happen.

Almost the moment she hung up the phone on Cosima, her company assigned monitor stepped into her office. Paul Dierdan was a powerfully built man, a former United Stated Army officer now under the employment of DYAD. Previously he was the monitor of another clone, Beth Childs, until her untimely suicide. Now Paul reported directly to Rachel, "I trust you have news", Rachel said coldly.

Paul didn't acknowledge the statement, choosing instead to place a series of images on Rachel's desk, "Looks like Cosima ran into someone in the street". They were images of Cosima running into Clara before fleeing down the street, "She doesn't have contact with anyone after this until she enters the apartment of Sarah's brother about ten minutes later".

Picking up the photos, Rachel examines the mystery man and woman closely, "Who are they?" she asks.

"The man we have nothing on", Paul replies. Rachel lowers the photo and glares at the man, "We've run checks against every database and through every agency possible, FBI, NSA, CIA, MI5, Interpol the lot, he does not exist".

"Curious", Rachel states, inspecting the image of The Doctor closely. His clothes were horribly unfashionable for a man of his age, further adding to the mystery, "And his companion?"

"Clara Oswald", Paul stated, pulling out a piece of paper, "27 years old, born in Blackpool, England and currently living in London. She's employed as a school teacher at Coal Hill Academy for the last year with no criminal record". Paul paused for a moment before adding, "There's two unusual things to mention, firstly there's no record of her entering the country".

Rachel sat up a little straighter, "That isn't possible".

"Immigration and the British Foreign Office confirmed it", Paul replied and that's not all. He opened up his file and laid out some more pictures, "When we ran a facial recognition search, we got multiple hits".

Rachel fanned out the images and was startled by want she found. There were five different pictures of Clara Oswald but spread out by several decades. Two were from the seventies and a couple more from the 1980's. There was another picture dated from the late nineteenth century and finally a more recent picture from 2000. In each picture the woman was exactly the same, not even a shared family relationship could explain the similarity, "That's will do for now", Rachel stated softly. Paul hesitated for a moment until Rachel looked him straight in the eye, "I said leave", she barked.

Paul glared back in response before turning around sharply and leaving Rachel alone in the office. She inspected the pictures a little closer, nothing could explain why these women all looked the same. Given the dates involved, another clone project could almost be ruled out. Rachel inspected the picture dated 2000 and she noticed that this was taken from an autopsy report from the San Francisco Police Department. It was then she remembered that Cosima lived in San Francisco at the time and would've been a similar age as this girl was at her date of death. The fact that a similar looking woman had bumped into Cosima today couldn't be a coincidence. She dropped the photo and leaned back in her chair, "I think it's time I found out who this Clara Oswald really is", she said with a cruel smirk.

 _ **A/N**_ _– Anyone who doesn't watch Orphan Black regularly, the narrative states that Cosima was raised in San Francisco and born in April 1984 which makes her fifteen at the turn of the millennium. In case you didn't guess Cassie Oswald died saving the Eighth Doctor during the events of the 1996 TV movie. Back to Eleven and Clara next time._


	3. If Everybody Looked The Same

_Chapter 3 –If Everybody Looked The Same...  
_

Despite not ending up in the place she wanted to visit, Clara actually found herself enjoying Toronto more than she expected. The city was similar to her adopted home city of London, only much smaller. The people were extremely friendly and as The Doctor promised, they had filled themselves to the brim with the best pancakes the city had to offer. After a quick trip up the CN Tower, the pair returned to the TARDIS only to travel a few miles outside of the city centre. Clara recalled that Toronto had a fantastic library in the suburban area of the city which she had wanted to visit for some time.

The pair exited the TARDIS and found themselves on the edge of a park where a group of children were playing soccer, or football as the English native Clara called it, "Ah the beautiful game", The Doctor rubbed his hands together, "did I ever tell you about the time I played for a pub team?"

"I'm staggered that you actually ventured into a pub", Clara replied sarcastically. The Time Lord launched into a details story involving some guy called Craig and a house that appeared to have two floors when in actual fact, it was concealing a hidden spaceship. The school teacher nodded and smiled in the correct places but she wasn't paying full attention. She was distracted by the woman she had bumped into earlier that day. Clara was sure that she knew her from somewhere and she had spent almost every moment since wracking her brain trying to work out how she knew the dreadlocked brunette.

Her first thought was that she had met her at University but the bespectacled woman didn't sound British. She was either a native Canadian or American, Clara always had trouble telling those two accents apart. Clara had only travelled across the Atlantic once and that was for a two week sightseeing trip to New York. The school teacher was almost positive that she hadn't met the woman there. It was really beginning to eat away at her because she was almost certain that she had met the dreadlocked brunette before, "Hello, are you listening?" The Doctor's voice snapped her back to the present.

"Erm", Clara looked at the bow tie wearing man nervously, "yeah, you were saying how you won the game for your team singlehandedly", she added more in hope than anything.

The Doctor looked at his companion for a moment before smiling, "Good, just checking". Clara breathed a sigh of relief, the last thing she wanted to do was wonder around the city with a sulking alien for the next few hours. By now the pair had reached the edge of the pitch where the children were practicing, "See that Clara", he pointed at one of the children, "I would've beaten him easily".

"Not so loud Doctor", Clara hissed, feeling the glares from several annoyed parents boring into her, "remember we're in a public place".

"I'm just offering them some tip from my own personal experience", the Time Lord replied.

Clara stared at him blankly for a moment, "From your one game of Sunday league football?" she asked dryly.

"I've had more experience that than thank you", he straightened out his bow tie, "I scored the decisive goal in the 2066 World Cup Final, ended England's hundred years of hurt". He paused and a frown appeared on his face, "Shame they disqualified the team because I wasn't an eligible player". Clara shook her head but couldn't resist chuckling at her friends story. They watched the practice session for a few more minutes with the Time Lord his 'wisdom' on the team performance. Clara hung her head, hoping that her hair would cover her embarrassment at The Doctor's antics as the angry murmuring from the assembled parents increased, "Use your head", he shouted, "honestly, who coaches this team".

"That would be me", an annoyed female voice called out from behind the pair. The woman was dressed in a pair of tight black leggings, a long sleeved pink top teamed with a white padded gilet. Most of her shoulder length brown hair was kept out of her face with a hair band expect for a small section that formed a fringe. Clara was about to apologise for The Doctor's behaviour until she noticed that his woman looked exactly the same as the one she bumped into earlier that day, "If you're not going to observe quietly then I will have to ask you to leave", the woman added with a severe tone.

"Sorry", The Doctor began in a tone that suggested he wasn't sorry at all, "I was only trying to help".

"Well don't", the coach snorted, "what do you know about soccer anyway?"

"I don't like to brag but I did teach Brian Clough everything he knows", The Doctor stood up a little taller, "good man was old big 'ead if a little arrogant, thought he knew better than me".

"Yeah fancy that", Clara grabbed the Time Lord and pushed him to one side, "sorry about my friend, I think he was dropped on his head as a child". The woman's expression didn't change, her glare was fixed on The Doctor as she tried to work out if he was lying or insane, "I'm Clara by the way", she held out her hand to the coach.

"Alison", she shook the school teacher's hand lightly, "Alison Hendrix", she added. "Please keep your friend under control, I'm not in the mood to deal with angry parents today".

Clara smiled in response, "That why I'm his carer", The Doctor looked at her, slightly offended at the suggestion. The school teacher took a couple of moments to assess the woman in front of her. Like the dreadlocked woman from earlier, Alison was a native of North American. Everything else though was completely different from the clothes they wore down to the way they held themselves. The woman earlier was very relaxed whereas Alison was stiff and tense. Clara was convinced they weren't the same person which led her to another question, "This might sound crazy but do you have a twin sister?"

Almost immediately Alison stiffened up even more than she already was, "I don't have a sister", she said extremely quickly, looked around nervously in the process.

"Then you must have a doppelganger or something", Clara continued, "she looked exactly the same, expect she had a nose ring and an awesome set of dreads-"

"I told you, I don't have a sister", Alison practically shrieked to the shock of everyone around her. Even The Doctor was now looking at the soccer coach with interest, "If you're going to cause trouble then I must insist that you leave", she stomped off towards the changing room that were about fifty feet away, "now", she added with a shrill tone.

The two time travellers stared disbelievingly at the retreating coach, flabbergasted by her extremely reaction, "Wow who put a stick up her arse", Clara snorted. The Doctor looked around quickly and shook the sleeve of his jacket. His sonic screwdriver slid down his arm and into his waiting hand, "Hey, its rude to sonic people behind their back", the school teacher reminded him.

The Doctor ignored her thought and quickly took a reading of the brunette, "Definitely human", he murmured, "nothing abnormal other than some extremely high blood pressure". The screwdriver snapped closed and the Time Lord placed it back into his jacket, "Just satisfying my curiosity, that's all", he defended his actions to his companion.

"So you admit there's something strange about them?" Clara asked, "who has such an extreme reaction to being asked if they have a sister?"

"Not everyone gets along with their family Clara", The Doctor sighed, "other than my granddaughter I wasn't particularly close to my family". The school teacher gave him a small smile and rubbed his arm reassuringly, "Come on, we've got a library to visit".

The pair quickly vacated the pitch and returned back the way they came, offering a small apology to the annoyed spectators in the process. They were about to rejoin the path when someone crashing into The Doctor, knocking him off balance, "Sorry mate", a female voice with a British accent mumbled.

"No problem", the Time Lord took another couple of steps until he stopped and looked back at the woman that had bumped into him, "Clara take a look behind you".

Clara slowly turned her head around to get a better look at the woman. She was dressed entirely in black, calf length combat boots, shiny black leggings and a jumper with the hood pulled up over her head. Her arms were buried deep into her pockets and Clara could tell by the way and the amount her head was moving that she was nervous, bordering on paranoid. The woman's head turned back in their direction and some straggly brown hair flicked out of the hood, "You're kidding me", Clara gasped, "there's another one". Like Alison and the woman from downtown, other than cosmetic differences , she was identical, "Now that can't be a coincidence", Clara added and quickly moved to catch up with the woman.

"Clara", The Doctor hissed, "come back", but the school teacher was gone, using the trees as cover to mask herself from view. The woman spotted Alison amongst the crowd and Clara could tell that the soccer coach wasn't pleased to see her. The pair retreated into the changing room as Clara tried to find a good spot to eavesdrop, "What part of 'don't run off' do you humans not understand?"

"Shh", Clara silenced him and pressed her ear closer to the changing room door.

She missed the start of their conversation but Clara could tell by the tension in the British sounding strangers voice that she wasn't happy, "Please Alison, I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate".

"Sarah I signed the contract to escape from this freakishness", Alison groaned, "this isn't helping my rehabilitation".

"Fucks sake Alison I'm doing this for all of us", the one now indentified as Sarah spat back, "not just for myself but for you, Cosima, Kira and even Helena". Clara's heart skipped a beat at the name Cosima but she still didn't know why, "I just need you to help S watch over Kira for a couple of hours", there was a brief pause before Sarah continued, "please, I just need to make sure that Helena's alright and that she isn't causing Art too many problems".

"Why do you bother with that psychopath?" Alison snapped, "she tried to kill us, do you remember that?"

"Course I do", Sarah said harshly before sighing loudly, "she's still family though, I thought you of all people would understand that".

Clara couldn't see Alison's reaction but she guessed she was probably thinking hard about the proposal, "Fine, I'll ask Donnie to cancel his plans and stay with Gemma and Oscar tonight".

"Thanks Ali", Sarah replied, "be at S's for around seven yeah". The sound of footsteps could be heard from the other side of the door, forcing Clara to scramble for cover again. She felt a sudden pull on her arm as The Doctor pulled her behind a tree just at the door opened. Sarah stepped out, took a good look around before pulling up her hood. The Time Lord waited for a few moments until he scanned her with his screwdriver. For a moment it looked Sarah had heard them as she stopped in her tracks and looked around. The time travellers crouched down low and the Time Lord shut off his device. With a cautious glance in their direction, Sarah slouched off and out the park.

"Okay that was the weirdest conversation ever", Clara said when she emerged from her hiding place, "ever heard of DYAD before Doctor?" she asked but the Time Lord wasn't paying attention to her, "Doctor?"

"DYAD yes", he replied absentmindedly, tapping his screwdriver against his hand at the same time, "world leaders in genetic research, one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world". He whacked his screwdriver against the tree, "Come on you stupid thing, work".

"Problems?" Clara snatched the sonic device out of his hand, rolling it over in her hand.

The Doctor took the screwdriver back, "Actually yes", he wiggled the device in the direction of his companion, "those two women are giving off similar readings to the Sontarans".

"The same species as Strax", Clara looked past her friend in the direction of Alison, who was now rejoining her team, "they don't look like walking potatoes".

"Exactly but according to this", he thrust the screwdriver in Clara's direction, "they're clones of each other".

Clara frowned for a moment, "Human clones, is that even possible?"

"Shouldn't be", The Doctor replied, "to my knowledge human cloning shouldn't be possible for another hundred years". He placed the sonic device back into his jacket, "Which means either I'm wrong, the sonic's wrong or-".

"We've got a very big problem", Clara sighed. Her thoughts drifted back to the dreadlocked woman, could she had met someone who looked like her, a different clone perhaps, "so what are we going to do?" she asked.

"What I do best when face with a potentially dangerous situation", The Doctor smiled and straightened his bow tie.

"Poke it with a stick?" Clara half asked and the Time Lord nodded in confirmation. She rolled her eyes but smiled on the inside, this was the best part of their travels. Something didn't feel right about this though, a secret hidden cloning project right under their noses. Clara shuddered slightly as she hurried to catch up with The Doctor, she had a very bad feeling about this.


	4. Clone Club vs Team TARDIS

_Chapter 4 – Clone Club vs Team TARDIS_

Just after 7pm local time The Doctor and Clara were exploring an area of the city not too far from the park where Alison and Sarah had met. The Time Lord led the way with his sonic screwdriver scanning for any similar readings, attempting to track down the clones DNA. Clara followed a couple of paces behind, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. This area of the city was a little run down, filling with several two storey town houses. Occasionally someone would stare at the pair, forcing Clara to shield her face in embarrassment. One thing that the school teacher was considering is that nothing felt out of place. On the surface everyone was going about their normal business, oblivious to the group of clones that were wondering around the city. With nothing better to do, she posed that question to the Time Lord, "You humans are very good at ignoring what's under their noses", he mumbled, checking his sonic device closely.

"We're not all totally ignorant though", Clara defended her species, "take me for example, I noticed something was wrong straight away".

The Doctor flicked his screwdriver closed and placed it back into his pocket, "I meant most humans", he replied, backtracking from his earlier statement. "Aliens have been visiting this planet for centuries yet it's only recently that their existence has truly been confirmed. You're very eager to accept a mundane explanation for something out the ordinary", he waived his hands in front of his face in an attempt to continue his train of thought, "do you remember the ghost invasion a few years ago?"

"Yeah, how could I forget", she stated glumly. Like most of the population she was convinced that one of her loved ones had returned as a ghost, in her case it was her mother. She spent hours talking to the ghostly shape, only for it to turn into a Cyberman and try to kill her. Once the fear had subsided, Clara was left with the disappointment and emptiness that it wasn't actually her mother she had been conversing with for weeks. It was like she had lost her all over again, it took her some time to bounce back from that.

"What was the explanation given by UNIT?" the Time Lord mused, ignorant to his companions fragile emotions, "ah yes, a mass hallucination brought on by contaminated water and you lot ate it up". He paused and shrugged, "Well most of you did, but the point I'm trying to make is that not everyone is as perceptive as you".

Clara gave him a small smile, "Careful chin boy, that almost sounded like a compliment". She noticed that they had paused outside one of the many town houses in the street. Clara quickly looked to the second floor and for a moment she swore that there was someone in the window watching them. The curtains twitched but if there was someone there, they were gone now, "This the place?" she asked the Time Lord.

"Almost certain this time", he replied, "fourth time's the charm I suppose". The pair had knocked on a couple of doors in the area without much success. The last house they visited threatened to release his dogs on them if they didn't get off his property when The Doctor tried to force his way inside. Eager not to repeat this mistake, he scanned the house once again with his screwdriver, "Signal's strong here, much stronger than anywhere else we've visited".

"Yeah you said that last time", Clara groaned, "so what's the plan then?"

The Time Lord smiled and found his psychic paper, "Not sure, let's see where this leads us". He straightened his bow tie and crossed the street before Clara had a chance to object.

The Doctor tapped on the door, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for a response. After a few moments the door opened, revealing a woman with straight, shoulder length brown hair and green eyes. She was in her late forties or early fifties and frowned suspiciously at the strangers on her doorstep, "Can I help you?" she asked with a thick Irish accent.

"Hello there, John Smith and this is my assistant Clara Oswald", The Doctor greeted warmly, "I'm with child services, I was hoping to speak with Sarah", he held up the psychic paper to 'confirm' his identity.

The woman stared intently at the paper and then at The Doctor. Her body language remained guarded and unfriendly but she did allow them inside, "She's in the next room", she replied gruffly. The Doctor nodded in appreciation and slowly moved towards the sitting room. Clara was beside him but the brunette noticed that the woman who let her in wasn't following. She remained by the door, almost like she was standing guard.

Clara thought this was a little suspicious but everything became clearer moments later. Sarah was perched on the back of the sofa with her arms folded tightly against her body. She had the look of an angry dog that was waiting to pounce at any moment. Their more immediate concern was the presence of Alison, who was standing next to her clone with a gun pointed directly at the time travellers, "Ah", the Time Lord uttered when he saw the weapon, "I think we were expected Clara".

"Really", she frowned, "what gave you that idea Sherlock?" she added sarcastically.

"You've got five seconds to explain what the bloody hell you're doing here before I tell Alison to put a hole in your heads", Sarah spat and checked an imaginary watch on her wrist, "clocks ticking".

The Doctor rubbed his hands together, "Hmm, well you see that's not going to be enough time", he spluttered quickly, feeling nervous at the sight of the gun.

"Time's up", Alison clicked the safety off her weapon.

"Wait wait wait", Clara waived her hands defensive, "don't shoot, we know what you are".

The two clones looked at each other briefly, Alison's finger remained near the trigger but she made no move to fire, "See, that just makes me more inclined to shoot you", Sarah pushed herself forward, glaring hatefully at the pair, "who sent you, DYAD? Rachel?"

"None of them", The Doctor replied, "I'll tell you everything but first could you lower the gun", he said towards Alison, "guns bring me out in hives", he crouched forward slightly and added with a low whisper, "not a pretty sight". Alison's hand waivered slightly before she clicked the safety back on and tucked the weapon into the waistband of her jeans, "Excellent, we're getting on much better already", the Time Lord stated brightly.

"Alright then chin boy", Sarah once again perched back on the sofa, "start talking". Clara sniggered briefly at the British clone's nickname for the Time Lord, "Something funny?" she asked with a frown.

"Sorry, that's my nickname for him as well", Clara smiled but that soon disappeared when neither clone smiled back. "This is probably going to sound crazy but what we're about to tell you is the truth".

Between them The Doctor and Clara explained how they were time travellers who happened to bump into someone who looked similar to them earlier in the day. Alison quickly informed them that they probably encountered Cosima. The pair then moved onto the encounter in the park which led them to the part about the sonic screwdriver. The Doctor was hoping not to tell them about his alien status but this forced his hand.

When the explanation was over, the two clones looked blankly at the time travellers. For a few moments neither of them spoke until Alison broke the silence, "So you're time travellers", the pair nodded, "he's an alien", The Doctor waived, "and you just so happened to wonder into our city and bump into us".

Clara shrugged, "Pretty much yeah".

"And he's really called The Doctor?" Sarah asked. When the Time Lord nodded, she snorted, "Knew it, you two are off your tits on something", she ran a hand through her hand, "Should've had Alison shoot you".

"He's not lying", Siobhan blurted out. The clones and the time travellers sharply turned to face the Irish woman, "During the early eighties I worked of an organisation called UNIT. Their role is to protect the planet against alien incursions".

Sarah snorted, "What a load of shite".

"I'm telling the truth", Siobhan said firmly, "I never told you or Felix about this when you were younger to protect you". She took a deep breath and a pained expression came across her face, "I met Mr Sadler working for UNIT and it was UNIT business that killed him, I couldn't expose you to that".

The British clone bit her hard, internally debated whether to believe her foster mother. Siobhan has always been evasive about her past and this could explain why. Certainly the story was so ridiculous that it almost had to be true, "Perhaps you should continue", Clara stated in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Thanks love", Siobhan replied, "there was a story that when around headquarters, that UNIT's special scientific adviser during the 1970's was an alien". The Doctor stared grimly at the woman, giving nothing away, "I didn't believe them of course, until one day I stumbled across a confidential file about that adviser", she paused and stared at the Time Lord, "his name was The Doctor".

Alison moved a closer to The Doctor, invading his personal space to the point that the bow tie man became a little uncomfortable, "He looks remarkably young for someone who should be in their sixties by now", she said suspiciously.

"Oh I'm much older than sixty", The Doctor chuckled, taking a step back from Alison, "probably closer to twelve hundred and sixty by now. Not really sure how old I am, sort of lost track after eight hundred years or so".

"The UNIT file showed five different faces for you", Siobhan addressed the Time Lord, "none of them looked like you. One of them looked quite young, like you do.

"Blonde hair, white jacket with a stick of celery in the lapel?" The Doctor asked and Siobhan nodded, "that would be my fifth body, he showed up on Earth quite a lot during the early eighties". The Time Lord frowned, he wasn't too happy that UNIT kept a file on him. If he didn't trust and respect Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart so much he would've been much angrier.

"Fifth body?" Sarah exclaimed, "what does that make you, a bloody body snatcher?"

"No I'm a Time Lord", he replied, slightly offended by the tone from the British clone. "When a Time Lord is close to death, they regenerate into a new body. We keep the same skills, knowledge and basic personality but the face and more superficial aspects change". He paused for a moment to allow that to sink in, "My third incarnation worked for UNIT back in the seventies and the file that Siobhan read detailed up to my fifth self".

"Which one are you then?" Alison asked.

"Eleven", The Doctor said simply. It was a little more complicated than that but he didn't want to confuse everyone too much. Siobhan still didn't looked convinced and the Time Lord knew there was only one way he was going to convince her. He reached into his jacket and found a stethoscope, "If you've read my file then I'm sure you know what you're looking for". The Irish woman took the device and pressed one end onto the left hand side of The Doctor's chest. She moved it to the right hand side and almost immediately dropped the listening device, "Told you", The Doctor smiled.

"Mrs Sadler", Alison asked curiously, "what did you hear?"

"Probably his second heart", Clara shrugged nonchalantly, "it's a Time Lord thing apparently".

Sarah snorted, "Two hearts, what a load of bollocks", she forcefully pulled the stethoscope from Siobhan and listened for herself, "Holy shite, he's got two hearts", she looked into his eyes in shock, "you're a bloody alien".

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all", The Doctor groaned and took the stethoscope back from Sarah, "see Clara this is exactly what I was talking about earlier".

"So Mr Alien", Alison began, backing away slightly from the Time Lord, "what are you doing here? Are you here to probe us?"

"What, no", The Doctor replied, "contrary to popular belief, aliens do not come to Earth just to probe humans. I take it the DNA source wasn't particularly bright, maybe it was a Sonatarn after all".

Both Alison and Sarah looked offended by the comment but Clara quickly tried to defuse the situation, "Doctor, perhaps it wouldn't be wise to annoy the woman with a gun", she reminded him. The Time Lord nodded his head, reluctantly accepting her point, "Truth is we were just passing through, actually I wanted to go to Rio but The Doctor has a terrible sense of direction".

"Your exile ended then Doctor", it was more of statement from Siobhan than a question. "His file stated that he was exiled to Earth by his people and acted as a consultant in the early seventies". The Irish woman smiled to herself, "Prevented us from shooting everything in sight most of the time from what I understand".

The Doctor snorted and smiled back, "Yes dear old Alistair was a little trigger happy in the early days, I soon put him right". His smile waivered thinking about Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, his death had left a huge void in the Time Lord's soul. He bitterly regretted not visiting him one last time before he passed away.

"He was a good man", Siobhan picked up on his thoughts, "took an immature woman and moulded her into the woman you see in front of you in just a few years".

"Just when our lives couldn't get any stranger", Sarah began, "a thousand year old face changing alien pops up".

"Yeah clones", Clara interrupted, "what's that all about? My scientific knowledge is pretty poor but I thought humans had only been able to clone a sheep so far".

"Evidently not", Alison said through gritted teeth, "you've told us your story, even if it's totally ridiculous", Clara raised an eyebrow but allowed the soccer mom to continue, "you want to hear our story?" the time travellers nodded, "alright but be warned, it's not for the faint hearted".

Over the next few minutes, Sarah and Alison told them everything they knew about their fellow clones and Project Leda. Clara listened in awe at the story but the frown on The Doctor's face deepened with each passing moment, especially when Sarah's daughter was brought into the conversation. The clones were meant to be sterile but somehow Sarah had defied their expectations and given birth naturally to Kira. Now DYAD had their sights firmly set on this 'miracle child'. The Doctor made a vow right then, no harm would come to this child whilst he had breath in his body. "Now you know everything we do", Alison continued, "if you want to escape this madhouse then I wouldn't blame you".

The Doctor and Clara looked at each other, both of them thinking the same thing, "Not a chance, just tell us what we can do to help".

"Looks like we've got a couple of new additions to Clone Club", Siobhan smiled.

"Ooh I do like a good club", The Doctor rubbed his hands together, "do we get membership cards?" Clara rolled her eyes at the Time Lord whilst Sarah and Alison glanced at each other in bemusement. Not for the first time they were wondering how the hell their lives had become so complicated.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 _ **A/N -** This chapter and chapter 5 were written as one long chapter but I separated them out into two. I didn't bother repeating backstory of Doctor Who and Orphan Black, it would take far too long and is probably unnecessary. Next time the brown stuff really hits the fan... _


	5. Taken

**_A/N -_** _Before you read chapter 5, I've made some revisions to chapter 4 concerning Mrs S's UNIT backstory. Nothing significant has changed and it's was more of a cosmetic tidy up but it might be worth reading that before reading this chapter._

 _Chapter 5 – Taken_

 _ **Previously**_ _-Over the next few minutes, Sarah and Alison told them everything they knew about their fellow clones and Project Leda. Clara listened in awe at the story but the frown on The Doctor's face deepened with each passing moment, especially when Sarah's daughter was brought into the conversation. The clones were meant to be sterile but somehow Sarah had defied their expectations and given birth naturally to Kira. Now DYAD had their sights firmly set on this 'miracle child'. The Doctor made a vow right then, no harm would come to this child whilst he had breath in his body._

 _"Now you know everything we do", Alison continued, "if you want to escape this madhouse then I wouldn't blame you"._

 _The Doctor and Clara looked at each other, both of them thinking the same thing, "Not a chance, just tell us what we can do to help"._

 _"Looks like we've got a couple of new additions to Clone Club", Siobhan smiled._

 _"Ooh I do like a good club", The Doctor rubbed his hands together, "do we get membership cards?" Clara rolled her eyes at the Time Lord whilst Sarah and Alison glanced at each other in bemusement. Not for the first time they were wondering how the hell their lives had become so complicated._

As the women in the room stared at the Time Lord like he was completely insane, Clara though found something a little more interesting. Sitting on the staircase staring through the wooden beams was a young girl with curly golden brown hair. She couldn't have been any older than eight year old Clara estimated, "Hello", she said softly and slowly moved towards the staircase, "I'm guessing you're Kira", the young girl looked a little bemused before slowly nodded in the affirmative.

"Kira love", Siobhan sighed, "I thought we told you to stay upstairs with your Uncle Felix".

A set of hurried footsteps could be heard on the landing above, "Kira you little monkey", a male voice called out, "you told me you were going to use the toilet". Felix trampled down the stairs, stopping on the same step as Kira. He noticed the two newcomers and his jaw visibly dropped when he saw Clara, "Oh my God", he cried, "you're Cassie aren't you".

"Erm, Clara actually", the brunette frowned, "do I know you from somewhere?" Felix stumbled down the stairs, barrelling to stop directly in front of Clara. He placed both his hands on her cheeks and began inspecting her face, "Little uncomfortable right now", Clara stated as best as she could with someone's hands on her face, "you could've at least brought me dinner first".

"Fee", Sarah said cautiously, "care to enlighten the rest of us".

"Definitely the same face", Felix stated, still looking at Clara, "apart from the crows feet around the eyes of course". He released his grip on the school teacher, leaving her to subconsciously worry about his crows feet comment. "I swiped this from Cosima's laptop", he pulled out his mobile phone and showed Sarah, Alison and Siobhan a photo, "this is Cos's childhood sweetheart".

Sarah took one look at the phone and snatched it from her foster brother's hand. She moved closer to Clara, her eyes darting between the image and the woman in front of her, "You've got to be bloody kidding me", she cried, almost dropping the device, "I can't deal with another set of clones right now".

"What are you talking about?" Clara quickly snatched the phone out of Sarah hands and was rendered speechless by what she saw. She recognised one of the two girls in the picture, it was the woman she had bumped into in the street today. The other though looked exactly the same as she did around fifteen years ago. The hair colour was slightly lighter but that was the only difference between them, "Holy watershed", she mumbled, staggering back a couple of paces.

The other clone club members quickly looked at each other when the words tumbled out of her mouth, "What did you just say?" Felix asked a slightly scared looking Clara, "Cosima used that phrase all the time, are you sure you're not Cassie Oswald?"

"N-no", Clara stammered in response, "I didn't even leave England until I was nineteen". She thought about the words she said after looking at the picture. She had no idea what prompted her to use that phrase, it just popped into her head after looking at her doppelganger. Clara couldn't describe what she was feeling, it was like another person was controlling her brain at that moment, "The girl in the photo, the one who looks like me, where is she now?" Clara was almost sure that she knew the answer to her own question but she had to hear someone else say it.

Felix took a deep breath, "She died, New Year's Eve 1999, some kind of unexplained electrical storm I think that's what Cos said".

"Sorry did you just say New Year's Eve 1999", The Doctor jumped into the conversation, "this Cassie Oswald didn't happen to live in San Francisco did she?" Felix took a couple of moments but he nodded numbly in response to the Time Lord's question. "Another echo", he mumbled, "Cassie died saving my life", he added with a loud sigh.

"Did I miss something", Felix asked the other clone club member's, "who's this guy?"

"He's called The Doctor and he's a thousand year old alien who can change his face when he dies", Alison replied in her usual matter of fact tone.

"Right", Felix said slowly, "glad we cleared that up".

The Doctor took the phone from Clara's grasp and inspected the image to confirm his hypothesis. There was no doubt about it in his mind, this was another one of Clara's echoes, "So she's like the Victorian nanny", Clara asked, "and the one on the spaceship?"

"I believe so", The Doctor stated before turning his attention to the rest of the room, "Not so long ago, Clara did something very brave and saved my life. The consequence of this act was that she was scattered and spread across my timeline. Thousands of different versions of Clara Oswald, living their own independent lives across time and space. All of them have one purpose, to save my life". He paused to allow that information to sink in, "New Year's Eve 1999 in San Francisco was the night that one of my greatest enemies attempted to destroy the planet but evidently Cassie Oswald did something to keep me safe to allow me to save the day. That's the purpose of the echoes", he let out a deep sigh, "even if it costs them their lives", he added glumly.

Sarah and the others didn't know how to respond to that, perhaps Clara being part of another cloning project would've been easier to accept. The concepts that The Doctor was throwing at them was, for want of a better term, extremely alien, "That's some heavy shit Doc", the British clone exclaimed, "so there's thousands of people who look like her who are willing to sacrifice themselves for you".

"I didn't ask for it", The Doctor snapped, "although I'm truly grateful. Believe me, I'm just as unhappy with their deaths as you are. I've been in close proximity to two of them", he turned to face Clara, "I have no intention of allowing it to happen a third time". Clara smiled at her friend in appreciation, "And don't call me Doc either, why must everyone insist on shortening my name".

"Alright alright, keep your bow tie on", Sarah growled, "so assume that Cos thinks her deceased girlfriend's come back to life", Felix nodded, "great that's all she needs, especially after all that shit went down with Delphine".

Clara had to admire the concern that Sarah was showing for her fellow clone. She wasn't sure if she would do the same if she ever encountered one of her echoes. From the brief exchange between Alison and Sarah and the way they spoke about Cosima, she knew the group had a very close bond. "I'll talk to her", Clara said, "it would probably be better if she heard this from me anyway". Sarah and Alison both looked weary at this suggestion, "Please it's the least I can do", Clara pleaded.

"Fine", Alison began, "by try and be gentle with her, she under enough stress with her illness and this messy business with her former girlfriend".

"Yeah try not to break her heart", Sarah added a little forcefully. Clara nodded numbly at the British clone, still staggered by this situation. One of her echoes had been living half way across the world at roughly the same time as her which made her wonder how many more were still alive in her time. The fact that Cassie Oswald was a lesbian didn't bother her at all, after all the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. That wasn't a story to share with this group today though, "Before we take you to Cos, perhaps you could do us a little favour".

"Name it", Clara replied, volunteering herself and The Doctor for whatever was needed.

"We need to get Kira as far away from here as possible", the British clone continued, "I assumed you've got some kind of transport in the area".

The Doctor smiled and looked over at the young girl standing in the hallway, "Oh yes, the best mode of transportation in the universe". The young girl didn't respond, instead she looked at the Time Lord in confusion, like she was trying to work something out in her head. The Doctor kept his attention on the youngster, there was something different about her but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. "I'm surprised you trust us with something as precious as your daughter", the Time Lord added still keeping his attention on Kira.

"I don't", Sarah said bluntly, "that's why we're all going with you", this was news to Felix, Alison and Siobhan who stared at Sarah like she had lost her mind, "less chance of any funny business happening if all of us come along for the ride".

"Completely agree, the more the merrier", The Doctor clapped his hands together, "my TARDIS is parked just around the corner, Clara can show the way".

The group slowly moved to grab their coat from the entrance hallway, however, The Doctor grabbed Siobhan before she could leave, "Don't worry, we'll catch up", she reassured the others. The moment the door closed, she turned to face The Doctor, "I assume you know, about the Sontaran technology used in the cloning process".

"Actually, I didn't", The Doctor replied, "it would explain why the clones have similar genetic sequences to the Sontarans". The Time Lord moved a little close to the former UNIT employee, "Your words amount to admission of guilt then", he shook his head disapprovingly, "typical UNIT, always meddling in things they don't understand".

"UNIT wasn't involved in this", Siobhan confessed, "after I left UNIT I worked under Ethan Duncan and his team. They knew that I still had connections at UNIT and asked me to obtain some information for their research".

The Doctor snorted, "No questions asked", he guessed.

Siobhan bit her lip and nodded, "It wasn't easy, being an Irish woman in a British military organisation. After leaving UNIT I was blackballed by virtually everyone. Work was hard to come back so I took what I could". She paused and let out a deep sigh, "By the time I knew what was happening it was too late". She crossed her arms across her body defensively, "I took Sarah in and raised her to atone for what I had done and I will continue to protect her, Felix, Kira and the others until there is no breath left in my body". The Doctor couldn't detect any hint of deception from the woman, she would protect her little family to the very end. The problem was that neither of them knew where the end of this mess would be and what would have to be done to get them there.

Suddenly the street echoed to the sound of gunfire and screeching tyres. Not needing a second invitation, the pair sprinted out the door with the Time Lord leading Siobhan in the direction of the TARDIS. They rounded the corner and found Felix on the ground clutching his face, Sarah chasing after a van that was disappearing in the distance and Alison holding her gun with very shaky arms. The weapon had been recently discharged and there was still smoke coming out the barrel. The biggest concern was that Clara and Kira were nowhere to be seen, "What happened?" The Doctor called out.

"Some of Rachel's men came and grabbed Kira and your friend", Felix replied. He pulled his hand away from his face and there was blood on his fingertips from a nasty gash on his forehead, "Bloody gits knocked me to the ground, nearly ran me over".

Siobhan slowly reached towards the weapon in Alison's hand and lowered her arms. She reconnected the safety and slipped it out of her grab, "Did you hit someone?" she asked softly and Alison nodded slowly in response, clearly shaken by shooting one of her attackers.

The Doctor placed his hands behind his head as the van disappeared out of sight, "Clara", he whispered, "who's this Rachel person?"

"Rachel Duncan", Siobhan replied, "head of the clone project at DYAD", she paused for a moment before adding, "she's another Leda clone".

"If you look up the definition of bitch in the dictionary, you'll see a picture of her", Felix added, slowly dragging himself to his feet, "like everyone else at DYAD, she had a weird obsession with Kira".

The Time Lord heard the words that Felix said but there were barely sinking in. Someone had taken his companion and perhaps more importantly, an innocent child. He needed to get them back and quickly. Sarah was slowly walking back and she had her phone pressed against her ear. The Doctor could tell by the look in her eye and the way she grasped her hair that she was speaking to the person responsible.

He marched towards the British clone and without pausing he said, "Is that the person who took your daughter and Clara?" He barely allowed her to respond before he yanked the phone out of her grasp and put it to his ear, "Now you listen to me and you listen closely", he began with a cold whisper, "you've taken someone very dear to me as well as an innocent child. I want you to return then immediately before I get really angry and do something that you will regret until the end of time".

" _Who is this",_ the clipped voice of Rachel replied, _"I don't take kindly to threats"._

"It wasn't a threat", the Time Lord growled, "it was a promise". The members of clone club took a couple of steps back from The Doctor, they could feel the anger radiating from the man. "You asked for my name, well I've been given many. The destroyer of worlds, the Oncoming Storm but I'm more commonly known as The Doctor. An organisation like DYAD will have a file on me, look me up", he paused and hissed, "I dare you".

There was a brief silence before Rachel replied, _"You don't scare me, Doctor",_

"We'll see about that Ms Duncan", with that parting comment he tossed the phone over his shoulder where it was caught by Sarah. Without breaking stride, he stormed towards the TARDIS with just a couple of goals in mind. Rescue Clara and Kira and bring down DYAD by any means necessary.


	6. Fractured

_Chapter 6 – Fractured_

Clara's head felt extremely foggy, she was aware that she was regaining consciousness but her body was rebelling against her. The school teacher opened her eyes slowly before closing them again quickly, the bright light of the room burned her eyes. She took a couple of deep breaths, mostly to reassure herself that she was still alive and tried again. It took a few moments but slowly her eyes began to adjust themselves to the conditions. Clara felt something soft underneath her and realised that it was a bed. Whoever had kidnapped her had at least gone to the trouble to insure that she was comfortable. The rest of the room was pretty nondescript, featureless cream walls broken only by the odd steel beam.

Now that she was properly awake, Clara cast her mind back to the last thing she remembered. She had been escorting Sarah's daughter to the TARDIS when they were ambushed by a group of armed men. One of them struck Felix hard across the face and Clara hoped that the British man was alright. Another man grabbed Kira, dragging her kicking and screaming a waiting van. She vaguely recalled struggling against her captor, a gunshot and finally a sharp stabbing sensation in her neck. Clara quickly sat up, regretting it instantly as she felt extremely lightheaded. She patted herself done and was relieved to find no serious injuries, "Haven't been shot", she reassured her, "good, really didn't want to get shot today".

"Always a good motto to live by", a soft American voice called out. Clara quickly turned her head and found that she wasn't alone in the room. In the far corner was another bed surrounded by an assortment of children's toys. Propped up on the bed was the woman she had bumped into earlier that day, "Hey, I never got to introduce myself earlier", she continued, "I'm Cosima", she waved.

Clara gave her a weak smile and small wave in return. She immediately noticed that Cosima wasn't look too good. Her skin was even paler than earlier and she now had a breathing tube feeding her oxygen through her nose. Clara placed her feet on the floor and took a few hesitant steps, "Clara", she answered, "Clara Oswald".

Cosima froze at the woman's name and how similar it was to Cassie's. This stranger though showed absolutely no recognition on her face, "I knew it was too good to be true", she struggled to sit herself up in bed. Clara would've rushed to her aid but she wasn't feeling too good herself, "Sorry for being mysterious but you look like someone I used to know".

"I could say the same about you", Clara replied, "Sarah and Alison", Cosima visible stiffened at the mention of their names, "I just came from their place", she moved a little closer, "I know about the cloning thing".

Cosima inspected the dark haired woman a little closer, a small part of her still wanted to believe that she was Cassie. Clara certainly acted quite similar, she had a casual attitude even in the face of something big like human cloning. There was a confidence about her too, an air that suggested she was in total control of the situation, "You don't seem surprised?" Cosima probed.

"Seen weirder", Clara shrugged it off, "maybe I'll tell you about it someday", she added with a cheeky smile. She moved towards the children's play area and inspected some of the toys, "Little old for play time aren't you?" she asked.

"Never too old for play time", Cosima tried to sit up a little straighter but the burning sensation in her lungs prevented any further movement, "no idea what they're doing here, all that shit was here when I arrived". She coughed deeply a couple of times, Cosima inspected her hands and was relieved to find no blood this time, "Tell me the tube", she pointed at her nose, "does this do anything for you?"

Clara tilted her head slightly, she could feel a small spark of attraction flittering between them, "Not my favourite accessory but you're pulling it off very well", she said softly.

Cosima chuckled at the woman's sense of humour and wondered for a moment if she was flirting with her. Perhaps Clara and Cassie Oswald shared even more in common that she initially thought. "Those goons who brought me in here, did they have a young girl with them?" Clara continued. "About so high", she held her arm out to indicate the height, "curly brown hair", she added.

"Kira?" Cosima exclaimed, "you're talking about Kira right?" Clara nodded, "Holy watershed they finally got her". The dreadlocked brunette placed her hand in front of her mouth, "This is literally the worst news ever", she shook her head, "that poor girl is going to be poked and prodded like a cheap assed pin cushion".

"Not if I can help it", Clara said defiantly, "I've got a friend who can help us", she paused and thought about how best to describe The Doctor. She didn't want to bring up the 'time-travelling alien' part just yet, she couldn't be too sure who was listening. "Let's just say he's good at getting out of tight spots". Cosima smiled weakly and lowered her head, placed her hands between her legs. The silence between the pair continued until it moved into uncomfortable territory. As the silence continued Clara began to grow impatient, she knew what Cosima wanted to ask but the woman was either too nervous or too scared to ask. "I know what you're thinking", the school teacher said, "just say whatever's on your mind".

Cosima looked at Clara through her dark rimmed glasses, biting her lip nervously, "This is going to sound completely stupid", she sighed, "but my first girlfriend looked exactly like you. Coming from a clone this sounds ridiculous but did you have a sister or some relation that lived in the States called Cassie Oswald?"

Clara took a deep breath and slowly approached Cosima's bed. She wanted to let the woman down as gently as possible but there was probably no easy way to say that the person you loved was an echo splintered off from her and scattered across the space-time continuum. She knelt down slightly until she was looking Cosima in the eye, "This is probably going to sound weird", she stated. Almost without realising Clara reached out and gently grasped Cosima's hand, rubbing her thumb across her palm.

The second she did the pair felt a massive static shock coarse through their bodies. Clara fell backwards, ending up seated on the floor. She placed her hands against her temples as her head was wracked with the most painful headache she had ever experienced. Flashes of different images shot across her vision quicker than she could register what they were. She closed her eyes as the pain continued to increase and she let out a silent scream. It took her a few moments to realise someone was shaking her shoulders and calling her name, "Clara", Cosima cried desperately, "speak to me Clara". The school teacher opened her eyes and could see Cosima's mouth moving but not the words she was speaking. The longer she looked into the dreadlocked woman's eyes, the more she realised what the images were. They were the memories and experiences of Cassie Oswald, somehow the direct contact between the pair had brought that echoes memories back.

The pain began to subside but Clara was far from coherent, at least she was able to register Cosima's words now, "That was unpleasant", she struggled to say, "really don't want to meet any of my other echoes now".

Cosima checked her eyes which were slowly focusing and her breathing, which was rapid but slowly returning to normal. The words that Clara said didn't make much sense, what did she mean by echoes? "Don't scare me like that again", Cosima stated, "I've already lost Cassie, I don't think I could handle someone who looks like her dying as well".

"You sound just like The Doctor", Clara snorted. She attempted to stand up but her legs were far too weak.

Before Cosima could ask who The Doctor was, the door opened and Rachel stepped inside, flanked by two large men, "I see the two of you are getting along famously", she said dryly.

"What did you do to her?" Cosima growled, even though Clara wasn't her Cassie she still felt protective of her.

"Just a small sedative", Rachel replied, "perhaps that will teach Miss Oswald not to bite people". Cosima looked up and noticed a bandage on one of the guard's hands. She struggled not to smirk at the man's misfortune, "The drug will be out of her system in a few hours, I'm amazed that she's even awake now". The tone suggested that she was far from interested in the well being of Clara and probably more interested in the poor performance of DYAD sedative.

Rachel indicated for the two men to leave which they did, shutting the door behind them. The proclone dropped a manila folder on the floor near the two woman and began to pace, "It appears there's more to Miss Oswald here than meets the eye", she began, "a school teacher from Blackpool on the surface but underneath", she smirked and kicked the folder open, "we have a hacker reported to have accessed a top secret facility based in The Shard skyscraper in London".

"Slow day at the office", Clara joked weakly.

Rachel though wasn't amused, "Most people would've been arrested for this crime but Miss Oswald here has high level clearance at UNIT". Cosima stared at Clara at the mention of UNIT, "That stands for-".

"Unified Intelligence Task Force, allegedly an organisation that protects the planet against aliens", Cosima interrupted, "I've read the crazy conspiracy theories online".

"Impressive research skills", Rachel stated, almost sounding impressed, "I guess that's why Aldous rated you so highly". The blonde haired woman paused and stared at Clara, "Only UNIT really does exist and your new friend is part of that organisation. That by itself makes her a fountain of useful knowledge for DYAD".

Cosima stared into Clara's eyes, hoping that Rachel was wrong. The small nod from the school teacher confirmed that everything the clone had told her so far was true. "That's not the most interesting thing about Clara Oswald though", Rachel moved the top piece of paper from the folder, revealing a series of pictures. Cosima inspected them closely and to her shock, they all appeared to be of Clara but throughout various different point in history, "Clara Oswin Oswald", she pointed at the oldest photo, "died December 24 1892, look familiar?"

The dreadlocked clone had to admit that the likeness to the Clara in front of her was remarkable, "How about Constance Oswald, died November 23 1963 in Shoreditch", Rachel continued, "not too far from where this Clara works now". The proclone pulled out a few more photos, "Not just limiting her family to England", she continued with sarcasm, "Clarice Oswald died in Paris September 29 1979, or perhaps Connie Oswald found in the sewers underneath New York City in November 1930".

There were at least a dozen pictures in the folder, leaving Cosima extremely confused. The scientist in her knew that all these women had to be the same person but dating back this far through history? That duration surely ruled out cloning but she was at a loss to explain the similarity between the pictures. The final one though stopped her in her tracks, "Ah that one's my personal favourite", Rachel said with glee, "Cassandra Oswald, died December 31 1999 in San Francisco".

"Stop it", Cosima hissed, seeing all these different people with the face of her deceased girlfriend was becoming too much to take.

Rachel frowned and snatched the picture back, "Once Miss Oswald is feeling better I will get some answers".

"I'm telling you nothing without knowing that Kira's alright", Clara said through gritted teeth, the pain of her headache preventing a more coherent response.

The blonde clone hesitated for a moment before clicking her fingers. The door opened and Kira was shoved inside, "Auntie Cosima", the girl smiled, running to the dreadlocked clone and throwing her arms around her.

"Hey monkey", Cosima smiled, "glad to see your alright".

Even in her pained state, Clara could recognise the jealousy in Rachel's eyes as she watched Cosima and Kira interact with each other. She wasn't even bothering to disguise it, "I'll give you an hour Miss Oswald", Rachel said turning on her heels, "failure to comply will result in unpleasant consequences". Without saying a word she opened the door and slammed it shut behind her.

"Geez and I thought Cybermen were cold", Clara blinked a couple of times, trying to clear her headache.

Kira noticed that the woman was in pain and slowly released her hold on Cosima. She looked at the school teacher blankly for a few moments before saying, "Your mind is fractured".

"I'm fine", Clara wheezed but it was far from the truth. Moments later Kira placed her hand on Clara cheek and the pain began to disappear. At the same time, Cassie Oswald's memories began to embed themselves in her mind. She could recall everything about them like she had actually experienced them, the sights, the smells and the emotions. She blushed slightly when she glanced at Cosima, she could remember everything about the dreadlocked clone and Cassie's relationship. Once Kira let go, Clara noticed that her headache had gone, "What the hell was that?"

"You were sad so I helped you feel better", Kira smiled and turned back to Cosima, "can I go play now?"

"Sure you can monkey", she smiled in response, watching Kira walk over to the easel that was set up in the corner of the room. The awkward silence descended between the two women again as Cosima thought about the images she had seen, "I think we need to talk", she sighed.

"I think we do", Clara began, "you should know that I'm not Cassie Oswald". She took a deep breath and smiled, "But I do know everything about her life", Cosima's eyes immediately widened at the American accent that came out of Clara's mouth. She sounded exactly like Cassie, "Holy watershed, looks like Cossie and Ossie are back in business".

Not too many people could leave Cosima Niehaus speechless but this British woman had done just that with just a few words. She had just used their nicknames which Cassie had invented one night. She thought they were cheesy but most importantly only two people knew what they were. Cosima coughed weakly, the pain in her lungs being masked by her confusion. Moments later, a single word fell from her lips, "What?"

 _ **A/N -** Little confession, I'm a massive Cosima/Delphine fan. However, for this story to work I've had to put my love of Cophine aside and steer it towards Clara/Cosima territory. Just thought I'd throw that out there in case anyone was wondering. _

_Next time with the member's of Clone Club known to DYAD, The Doctor has to recruit some additional help from the British side of the Atlantic._


	7. The Immortal

_Chapter 7 - The Immortal_

Anger, so much anger that it whirled around him like a tempest, threatening to overwhelm all of his senses. Someone had abducted a helpless child as well as his companion and there was no force in the universe that was going to stop him from rescuing them. The Doctor could hear Sarah shouting as she struggled to keep up with his brisk pace but the Time Lord chose to ignore her cries. He turned the corner into a small sidestreet where the TARDIS was waiting patiently for his arrival. With a snap of his fingers the door flung open, allowing him to step into the time ship without breaking his stride. A few paces later he was at the console, manically flicking switches in a desperate attempt to locate Clara and Kira.

Scrambling in the Time Lord's wake, a frantic Sarah barely even registered that the bow tie wearing man had entered an old fashioned British Police Box in the middle of a Canadian city. Rachel had finally made her move, snatching her daughter from the middle of a busy street. The British clone might not have been the best mother in the past but she loved Kira with all her heart. The thought of Rachel and DYAD poking and prodding her child in the name of science made her skin crawl. She didn't fully trust The Doctor but right now, he was her best hope of getting Kira back.

All of her thoughts disappeared the moment she stepped through the TARDIS doors. The Doctor was dashing around a hexagonal console that sat in the middle of a large room. The walls were made from a pale blue metal with several fluorescent roundels lined up across the ceiling. Sarah took a couple of paces back until she was back out in the street. She gave the blue box a quick look, it was roughly the size of a phone box and gave no indication of what was held inside. The brunette took a nervous step back into the TARDIS her eye flickering around the room nervously, "Holy shite", she stuttered, "this is unreal".

"Oi Sarah wait up", Felix's voice echoed throughout the TARDIS. He stepped through the door and immediately stopped in his track, "Now that I wasn't expecting", his mouth flapped open a couple of times.

"Felix watch where you're going", Alison said with an annoyed voice. She was following close behind Felix and bumped into him when he stopped, "Oh my goodness", she spluttered, "but this is a box, how can this be in here?"

"It's bigger on the inside", The Doctor replied without taking his gaze away from the console.

"This is impossible", Sarah replied with a harsh tone, the clone was confused and desperate to get her daughter back. The bigger on the inside box wasn't helping her growing headache.

"No it's alien", The Doctor began, "this is my ship called the TARDIS, that stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space". He clicked his fingers and the doors slammed shut behind the trio, "I would offer you a tour but I've got a companion that needs saving", he turned his attention back to the console.

"Screw your bit of skirt", Sarah snapped, "Kira's out there in the hands the psycho bitch from hell having God's knows what done to her. We've got more important things to worry about than your girlfriend".

The Doctor slammed his hands against the console and fixed the British clone with a harsh glare, "Don't talk about Clara like that", he snapped, forcing the British clone to take a couple of steps back. Felix looked surprised, not too many people had the power to make Sarah physically retreat, "I will rescue both of them but I can't do that with you shooting your mouth off every five seconds", he added, "either you help me or you can sit down and shut up".

A tense silence followed as a silent battle of wills ensued between Sarah and the Time Lord. It was a contest that the clone wasn't going to win and she began to wither under the intense stare of The Doctor. She sniffed and scratched the back of her head, "Yeah whatever", she mumbled and retreated back towards Felix and Alison.

"I think what Sarah is trying to say is thank you for offering to rescue Kira", Alison interjected on behalf of the British clone. From the brief time she had known Sarah, she knew that the Brit wasn't someone who backed down easily. Her pride prevented her was thanking The Doctor especially after the harsh way he spoke to her, "Is there anything we can do to assist?"

The Doctor nodded stiffly, "This could be dangerous, are you sure about this?"

"One hundred percent", Felix replied with conviction, "I'm not letting anally retentive Barbie get her hands on my niece".

The Time Lord had to chuckle at that comment and flicked the handbrake off the TARDIS, setting the ship into flight. Despite their crude way with words, he could sense the passion behind the words of Sarah and Felix, "I'm sorry Sarah", he began, "I shouldn't have snapped, this is a stressful situation for all of us". The clone nodded in acknowledgement which even The Doctor knew was all he would get out of her, "Now this company-".

"DYAD", Alison offered.

"Right yes, DYAD", the Time Lord clapped his hands together, "can you think of somewhere they would take Clara and Kira?"

The trio looked amongst themselves for a moment, surprised at the question, "Is that a trick question?" Sarah asked.

"No", The Doctor shrugged, "not local to the area".

"Rachel's an arrogant bitch", Sarah spat, "there's only one place they'll take them, DYAD headquarters in the centre of the city".

"Hiding in plain sight", the Time Lord frowned, "that's different". A plan began to slowly formulate inside his head, he still needed to work out the rough edges but he was reasonably sure it would work, "Have any of you been inside the building before?"

Both Felix and Alison pointed towards Sarah, "Yeah I know my way around", the Brit replied, "so we fly this box of yours over there and go snatch them back".

The Doctor held his hands up, "Now let's not rush in too quickly", he began, "your faces are too well known", he pointed at Sarah and Alison, "and I'm guessing that they know about my association with Clara. If my plan's going to work then we need someone who they've never encountered before". The Doctor had several people in mind, most of them were in the employment of UNIT though. He didn't want to drag them into this just yet, they would be his backup plan in case things went wrong.

His mind then drifted towards his wife, River Song, she would be ideal for an infiltration mission like this. The Time Lord had to rule her out though, their timelines were close to intersecting for the final time. It might be selfish but he wanted to save his final meeting with the curly haired woman for something much more special. With UNIT and River eliminated that only left one other suitable choice. He dashed up to the console and pushed a few buttons before flipping another lever. The Time Rotor groaned as the ship began to materialise in his chosen location, "What the blazes was that noise", Alison asked.

"We've landed", The Doctor said simply, "out there is not Toronto but somewhere completely different".

"No", Felix cried, "really?" Being closest to the door he turned around and pulled on the handles. He stepped outside but was less than impressed by what he saw, "Huh, I was expecting something a little more alien", he said with disappointed.

Sarah thrust her hands into her pockets and stepped outside. There were in the centre of a city but it wasn't Toronto. She looked around and found a few clues to their location dotted around the plaza, "Hang on, Roahl Dahl Plass, Mermaid Quay, Millennium Stadium", she pointed at some street signs, "we're in bloody Cardiff".

"Cardiff?" Alison exclaimed, "as in the city several thousand miles away from where we just were?"

"Yup Cardiff or Caerdydd if your speaking the native language", The Doctor replied, "capital of Wales and home to Torchwood Three". He sensed several questions from the trio and to save them time, he cut them off, "Torchwood is an organisation dedicated to protecting the planet from alien threats. The team based in Cardiff is led by one of the few people I would trust with my life".

"Alright this is good", Sarah said anxiously, "how do we get in contact with this friend of yours".

"Oh he already knows that I'm here", the Time Lord replied, "his systems would've picked up the arrival of the TARDIS". He quickly checked his watch, "Actually I'm surprised he's not here already".

Moments later a small flash of light appeared behind The Doctor and a figure stepped out of a lift that hadn't been there a moment ago. The platform disappeared back into the ground and the stranger took a couple of steps towards the group. He was a male, outwardly appearing to be in his early forties. His black hair was swept over to one side and he was dressed in a dark pair of trousers and a light blue shirt. His long blue overcoat was in the style of a World War Two soldier and it fluttered gently in the breeze, "You've regenerated again Doctor", the man stated, his American accent immediately obvious, "and you keep getting younger, some would say that isn't fair".

"This coming from you", The Doctor began hesitantly, "Sarah, Alison, Felix, allow me to introduce the head of Torchwood Three-"

Captain Jack flashed the group his best smile, "Hello, Captain Jack Harkness at your service", he approached Alison first, gently grasping her hand and kissing her knuckles. The soccer mom blushed before snatching her hand back, "Doctor you're spoiling me", he smiled, "a very attractive pair of twins and this fine specimen", he smiled at Felix.

"Excuse me, I'm happily married", Alison exclaimed.

"I'm not", Sarah inched a little closer to the Captain.

"Erm what about Cal?" Felix raised an eyebrow at his foster sister, reminding about Kira's father, "I on the other hand am definitely young, free and single".

"Do you have to flirt now?" The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose, "there'll be plenty of time for that later".

"My you're certainly different from the skinny guy in the suit", Jack began, "he was probably the worst wing man in history".

"Yes yes, we can discuss my failings another time", The Doctor replied, "we need your help with a rescue mission".

Jack stiffened slightly at the request, he still hadn't forgotten The Doctor's absence during the 456 incident which saw the Captain sacrifice his own grandson to save the planet. The pair had met not long after the incident and Jack had largely forgiven the Time Lord but that didn't mean he was going to be willing to help, "I'm not really in that line of work anymore Doctor", he sighed. "Torchwood isn't even meant to be operating, it's taken Gwen and I years to get The Hub up and running again but we're strictly intelligence gathering only".

"I'm not asking Jack Harkness, the head of Torchwood", the Time Lord stated, "I'm asking you as my friend". He paused and noted the hesitant look on the Captain's face, "Someone's taken my companion and Sarah's daughter and you're one of the few people I trust implicitly to get them back".

"Please", Sarah stepped forward, "we need your help", she pleaded with the man.

Jack looked at the woman, noting the hollow look behind her eyes. It was a look of a person who was on the brink of losing something very dear to them, a look he knew far too well, "Alright", he agreed, "I could never say no to you Doctor".

"Excellent", the Time Lord patted the Captain on the back, "before we go any further, do you still have your TARDIS key". Jack looked confused but after a quick rummage in his pocket he pulled out a small silver key on a metal chain, "Good, one last thing you'll need some false ID, preferably for a Canadian law enforcement agency".

"Doctor I'm not a con man anymore, I don't have anything like that", the Time Lord folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. After a couple of moments, Jack sighed and reached back into his pocket, pulling out a leather wallet, "Canadian Security Intelligence Service", he said and flipped the wallet open, "will that do?"

"Perfect", The Doctor announced, "right, to the TARDIS everyone. We've got a young girl and a Clara to save".

Just then Sarah's phone rang, interrupting the moment. She took one look at the caller ID and her face fell, "Shit it's S", she cried.

"I completely forgot about her", Felix slapped his forehead, "we left her back in Canada, she must be going frantic". Sarah bit her lip and quickly answered the call, walking towards the TARDIS in the process.

"Well, we'll soon be back in the city", The Doctor added dismissively, placing his hands into his pocket.

The Time Lord led them into the TARDIS, closely followed by Sarah and Alison. Felix gently grabbed Jack arm and began escorting him towards the time ship, "Before we set off there's something important I should tell you". Jack tilted his head towards the artist, "Sarah and Alison aren't twins, they're clones", Felix stated and walked towards the TARDIS. Captain Jack frowned as he watched the young man climb into the blue box, what kind of mess had The Doctor gotten himself into this time?


	8. Mutual Attraction

_Chapter 8 – Mutual Attraction_

Inside their special holding cell, Cosima smiled weakly as Kira showed off her latest drawing. The young girl was certainly a talented artist, her most recent masterpiece was a painting of her Mum and her three 'Auntie's', Alison, Helena and Cosima herself. The dreadlocked woman was the first person to admit that she had no idea how to entertain children. Decoding a genetic sequence she could do but keeping an eight year old amused, that wasn't part of her skill set. Even Kira picked up on this after a while and was gradually losing interest, "You don't have to watch me Auntie Cosima", the young girl sighed.

Cosima smiled at the girl before her eyes flicked over to the other woman in the room who was lying down on the bed staring aimlessly at the ceiling. She would rather attempt to entertain a child than have another conversation with Clara any time soon, "Sorry Kira but I'm not a great artist", she apologised to the youngster. She looked around and found a piece of paper and a pencil amongst the art supplies, "Tell you what, how about we do a little science experiment?" Cosima smiled and held up the paper and pencil.

As she launched into a practical demonstration of Newton's Second Law of motion, Cosima's thoughts lingered on Clara. The explanation the British woman had given about having physical echoes dotted around space and time was almost unbelievable. Cosima could sense the sincerity from the school teacher though, every single word that she said had been the truth. Cosima had fallen in love with Cassie fifteen years ago, an echo of the woman sitting in the room as her.

At first Cosima had to laugh at the irony of the situation, she loved someone who was as close to a clone as it was possible to get. But it was so much more complicated, Clara explained that the echoes took on a lot of her own personality traits, her stubbornness, her passion and her natural empathy with children. All of that described Cassie to a tee, even her love of soufflés apparently came from Clara.

All of this information left Cosima with a bigger identity crisis than the one she experienced after discovering her own status as a clone. Clara was so similar to Cassie that it was unreal, much more similar than any of the other members of clone club were. Sarah, Alison, Cosima and the others were so different that it was easy for the dreadlocked woman to quantify them as individual people. This coupled with Clara's new found ability to slip into Cassie's memories and personality left Cosima feeling extremely confused. She had abruptly terminated their conversation under the pretence of checking on Kira. The truth was that talking to Clara brought up a whole range of emotions that she wasn't ready to deal with. Her love for Cassie was in the past, at least she thought it was, "You should talk to her", Kira said after Cosima finished her demonstration.

Cosima briefly opened her mouth, her response stuck in her throat for a couple of moments. How did Kira know exactly what she was thinking? "It's not that easy monkey", she replied with a defeated sigh.

"Why not?" Kira shrugged with the blunt honesty that could only come with youth, "Is it because she reminds you of someone?"

"Yeah she does", Cosima replied with a soft whisper, "someone I lost a long time ago". Swallowing deeply, she suddenly found a level of courage that she didn't know she possessed, "But you're right, I should go over there". As she stood up and moved towards Clara, she failed to notice the little smirk that appeared on Kira's face.

Cosima's steps were small, she was trying to think of the best way to begin this conversation. She wrung her hands together nervously and was about to open her mouth when Clara beat her to it, "You're really good with her", she said without looking at the other woman, "ever think of having kids of your own?"

That wasn't the question that Cosima was expecting, "Never really thought about it", she shrugged, "when you bat for the other team, you kinda rule out the possibly of children early on". Unlike Alison, Cosima had never given any thoughts to having children so the news that she was infertile hadn't disappointed her too much. "How about you?" she asked, "a school teacher and a nanny but no kids of your own?"

"Teaching the monsters I do, it's enough to put anyone off kids for life", Clara joked, "but truthfully I haven't found the right person yet". Cosima frowned slightly, noting that Clara said person and not man, "That wasn't why you came over though", Clara continued, turning to face the dreadlocked scientist, "I'm sorry for earlier, using Cassie's voice and memories like that. I should've been more sensitive to your feelings".

"No biggie", Cosima shook it off, "I was a little freaked out but I think I've gotten over it now". She paused and smiled, "The whole time travelling and alien thing though, that'll take some getting used to. I seriously don't think I've nerded out enough about that yet".

Clara smiled and patted the space on the bed next to her, "Well I'm not going anywhere, feel free to nerd out to your heart's content".

Cosima hesitated for a moment, feeling slightly uncomfortable about lying on a bed next to an echo of her deceased girlfriend. She saw the optimistic look on Clara's face and felt her discomfort ebbing away. She slid her oxygen tank a little closer to the bed and gently sat down on the mattress. Gingerly she swung her legs over the side until she was next to Clara, making sure there were a few inches of space between them.

For several moments they lay next to each other, neither looking at the other. Both Clara and Cosima could feel butterflies bubbling in their stomach just being in such close proximity to each other. The nervous energy building up also stunted any conversation and the silence continued for several more minutes. "This is much more awkward than I imagined", Clara said, breaking the silence.

"Totes", Cosima agreed, "it's just", her voice trailed off as she tried to think of the best words, "even without the accent, you remind me so much of Cassie that I think I'm displacing my feelings for her onto you". Clara twisted her head to get a better look at the dreadlocked woman, "you probably don't even like women that way", she added bitterly.

Clara shifted on the bed until she was on her side, propping her head up with her hand, "I haven't told anyone else this story, so what I'm about to say stays in this room".

"Hey what happens in the holding cell of multi-national conglomerate", Cosima replied with a cheeky smile.

Taking a deep breath, Clara began her story, "After I finished secondary school, my parents took me on an extended holiday. One of my uncles owned a small farm house in the Yorkshire Dales. It was really pretty, old fashioned stone work and green country side as far as the eye could see".

"Sounds pretty sweet", Cosima smiled.

"It was but not for the sixteen year old girl who grew up in the heart of Blackpool", Clara shook her head, "I was a Lancashire city girl and here I was living in the Yorkshire countryside, I felt like I was betraying my heritage".

"Rival groups, like Downton Abbey meets the Bloods and Krips, sound about right?" Cosima asked.

Clara had to laugh at the American's concise summary, "Not how I would put it but essentially correct". She shook her head to regain her train of thought, "Anyway one day I was walking in the countryside when I bump into someone who took my breath away". She paused and smiled at the memory, "Tall, dark hair, really deep brown eyes", she sighed.

"Tall, dark and handsome", Cosima frowned, "what was this mystery hunk's name?"

"Jasmine", Clara chuckled, "her name was Jasmine". Cosima's head whipped towards Clara so quickly that she heard her neck pop. "I never thought about my sexuality before I met her but something about Jas just opened my eyes. We spent every available minute that we could together", she paused, her eyes began to moisten slightly, "it was probably the best few weeks of my life".

Cosima pushed herself up into a seated position, "What happened?"

"Nothing bad, not like-", Clara's voice trailed off, leaving Cassie's name unsaid, "let's just say that the residents of a small Yorkshire village were not tolerant to same sex relationship", she added with more than a hint of bitterness. "My parents supported my choice but Jas's parent didn't. We returned to Blackpool the following morning and I never spoke to her again".

Cosima reached out and grasped Clara's hand, rubbing the back of her palm with her thumb. The school teacher gave her a watery smile in appreciation, "I suppose Cassie does get a lot from me", she continued, "I like men as well, my best friend Nina calls me greedy", Cosima chuckled at the comment, "but just like you, my first love was a girl".

The tension in the room suddenly changed from negative to something much different. As the two brunette stared into each other's eyes, they could feel the sexual tension fizzing between them. The two began to inch closer together until Clara hesitated, "Despite our similarities, I'm not Cassie", she reminded the dreadlocked woman.

"I know", Cosima pulled out her breathing tube and wetted her lips, "but right now I don't care".

"Don't you have a girlfriend already?" Clara asked, instantly breaking the atmosphere. Cosima sat back and groaned loudly, she had forgotten about Delphine. The betrayal that she felt when Delphine used Kira's stem cells to treat her illness without telling her still stung. She knew that the Frenchwoman was only trying to help but that wasn't the first time that the blonde had been dishonest with Cosima. She hadn't spoken with Delphine for nearly a week which gave her plenty of time to evaluate their relationship. So much of it had been based on lies that Cosima wondered how much of it was true.

Despite the poor timing, Clara was right. Even if she didn't feel the same way about Delphine anymore, there was a time and a place for everything, "That's a very long story", Cosima sighed.

Before she could launch into a full blow by blow account of her relationship, Kira dropped her pencils and stiffened up, "Rachel's coming", she announced.

"That's a little freaky", Clara frowned but quickly shook it off, "I have a plan", she continued, "I'm going to stall for time but I need you to play along". Cosima nodded slowly, more out of confusion than anything, "Oh and I apologise in advance for what I'm about to do", that really got the clone's attention but the door opened before Clara could elaborate further.

This time Rachel was alone, her burly bodyguards keeping watch outside. The blonde clone inspected the pair with suspicion, "You've had an hour", she announced getting straight down to business, "enough time to think about my proposal".

"Thank you for your generosity", Clara replied sarcastically, "but it's given me enough time to think and you deserve the truth", she turned around and looked directly at Cosima, "you both do".

Rachel folded her arms across her chest, "This should be interesting".

"The truth is that Cassie Oswald never really died", Clara winked at Cosima, prompting the clone to look surprised. She took deep breath and switching to an American accent, "She's right here", she paused and turned back to Rachel, "I'm the real Cassie Oswald".

There was silence in the room as Clara anxiously awaited Rachel's response. The proclone snorted and shook her head, "You must think I'm an idiot".

"Well duh", Clara replied, "but it's the truth", she quickly checked that Cosima was playing along. The dreadlocked woman had a suitable look of shock and surprise on her face, "After the incident in San Francisco I was recruited into UNIT", she continued, "they said I knew too much but instead of whacking me, they offered me a job. The kicker was that I had to die", she sighed, "that's when Clara Oswald was born in her place".

"Say for one minute I believe this", Rachel shrugged her shoulders, "story, what about the pictures?"

"Plants", Clara said simply, "designed to confuse anyone who dug too deeply into my past". She took a couple of paces until she was standing next to Cosima, "In fact now that you've found them, it would've alerted UNIT HQ that I've been discovered". She fixed Rachel with a cocky smile, "I suspect that Director Stewart will be arriving in a few hours to interview you personally".

Cosima noticed that Rachel wasn't fully buying the cover story. It was time to do her bit to sell the distraction, "How could you do this Cass?" she said with hurt in her voice, "I thought you were dead, I spent years mourning you but you were alive all this time?"

"I'm sorry Cos", Clara replied, "but I had to, the people that attacked San Fran could've come back". She gently brushed her hand against Cosima's cheek, "I couldn't let anything happen to you". The school teacher glanced at Rachel but the blonde clone wasn't giving anything away, it was time to move to the final phase of her plan, "Do you forgive me?"

"Of course I do my love", Cosima smiled broadly. That smile was soon wiped off her face when Clara placed her other hand on her cheek and pulled her face closer. The pair's lips met and for a brief moment Cosima's stiffened in surprise. It didn't take her long to melt into Clara's embrace and return the kiss with passion.

Fireworks were going off in Clara's head as she grabbed a fist full of Cosima's dreads in her hand. The line between her and Cassie had blurred until there was no crossover. Right now there were no echoes or clones, just two women who were very much attracted to each other, "Alright, enough", Rachel drawled, "I can't stand the sight of my face kissing another woman any longer".

The couple pulled away and Clara immediately noticed a look of surprise in Cosima's eyes. She wasn't expecting to be kissed at all, let alone with such passion and desire. Clara mouthed something along the lines of " _talk later"_ before turning back to Rachel. The head of DYAD clone project soon had other things to worry about when her phone rang, "What is it?" she snapped. Moments later she pulled her phone away and stared at the screen before pressed the device back to her ear, "And you say that a CSIS Agent just walked into the building", she continued, "take them to my office, I'll deal with them myself".

"Problems?" Clara asked, still in her American accent.

"It appears that Sarah has turned herself in", she replied. Cosima gasped in shock and surprise, "She arrived in the building with her foster brother and a CSIS Agent". Rachel bit her lip and thought about what to do next, "Looks like you've brought yourself a stay of execution _Cassie_ ", she added with sarcasm. Rachel kept her glare on the couple, considering her next move carefully, "Your stem cell treatment is ready Cosima", she began, "I hope that this unpleasant business doesn't interfere with your health. Someone will be along to collect you in a few minutes", with one final glare, she stomped out of the room and slammed the door closed.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Clara ran her finger through her hair, "Why would Sarah and Felix just walk into the building?" she asked out loud in her usual accent.

"Never mind that", Cosima answered, "you kissed me", she rolled her eyes, "is that what you were apologising for?"

"I apologised for surprising you with the kiss", Clara gave her a coy smile, "but I won't apologise for kissing you". Cosima blushed slightly and leaned against the bed. Her lungs were beginning to burn again due to lack of proper oxygen. Clara took a couple of steps closer and leaned over the bed, making sure to press herself against Cosima. She kissed her on the forehead and grabbed Cosima's breathing tube, placing it carefully into the dreadlocked woman's nose. "This little incursion by your sister screams of The Doctor", Clara continued, "it's the kind of stupid idea that he would have".

Cosima took a couple of deep breathes, Clara's body was still pressed up against hers, "So what should we do?" she finally managed to stammer out.

"Be ready to fight", Clara looked around the room, trying to find something to defend herself, Cosima and Kira with, "unfortunately The Doctor's plans tend to go wrong very quickly".

"We could use these", Kira stated, holding some pencils in her hand. Clara immediately pushed herself away from Cosima, she had forgotten that the young girl was still in the room.

Clara took one from Kira and smiled, "Perfect", she looked Cosima in the eyes, "like you said Cos, force equals mass times acceleration". Cosima frowned in confusion, whatever Clara had in mind sounded extremely risky. She hoped that this Doctor person got here before they had to put this self defence plan into action.

 _ **A/N -** Clara's first love is a little bit of an actor reference. When she was younger Jenna Coleman appeared in a British soap called Emmerdale (set in Yorkshire). Her character, Jasmine, was involved in a lesbian relationship which caused controversy at the time as it was between two teenagers. A first at the time I believe. Next time the rescue properly begins. _


	9. Misdirection

_Chapter 9 – Misdirection_

The office of Rachel Duncan was exactly like everyone expected. Clean, functional, devoid of any personal touches that suggested that anyone actually used the space. Felix paced the floor nervously, his hands firmly in his pockets. Looking through the glass panelled walls were the two burly security officers that escorted them through the building. He could clearly see the outline of their weapons through the jackets, if he was honest he was slightly surprised that Rachel hadn't had them shot on sight, "This is a bad idea", he grumbled.

"Stop worrying", came the cheery sounding voice of Captain Jack. He was inspecting a weird glass and sand sculpture that appeared to be an elaborate ant farm, "I've been in much tighter situations than this".

Felix paused in his stride and folded his arms across his chest, "This is the woman who tried to frame me for murder", he pouted, "the woman who's made our lives a living hell for the last few months". Jack slowly turned around and met the British man's gaze, "So please, don't stand there with your perfect cheek bones and tell me not to worry", he added.

"You think my cheek bones are perfect?" Jack wiggles his eyebrows.

"Please stop flirting", Sarah groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, "you can shag as much as you want once we have Kira back". The British clone was sat behind the desk with her feet up, looking extremely relaxed.

"Is that a promise?" Jack chuckled, "you're more than welcome to join us?"

"Eww", Sarah wretched slightly, "my life is bloody strange enough already without getting an invite to a threesome with my brother". The brunette quickly checked the time on her phone, "How long is the bitch gonna keep us waiting?"

"Easy sis", Felix leaned on the desk and looked her in the eyes, "just remember, live the role". Sarah took a deep breath and nodded slowly in agreement. Moments later she caught sight of the woman in question approaching the door. Felix pushed himself off the desk and slowly turned around, "Speak of the devil and she shall appear", he said coolly.

"Felix Dawkins", Rachel began, "what an unexpected treat this is", she added sarcastically. The blonde's frosty gaze immediately turned to Sarah, eying the Brit's dirty boots on her pristine desk. Seeing the disgusted look on Rachel's face, Sarah smirked and got to her feet. Offering the blonde a sarcastic bow, the brunette clone silently took her place at Felix's side. "I'm surprised to see you here too Sarah".

"You know damn well why I'm here?" Sarah snarled, "I want Kira back and the woman that was with her".

"Ah yes, the mysterious Clara Oswald", Rachel placed her fingers together, "she is of no concern of yours".

Jack quietly cleared his throat, "But she is wanted by us", he reached into his coat and pulled out an ID badge, "Agent Barrowman, CSIS", he announced, "we've been tracking Miss Oswald for months. She wanted in connection with several crimes across a number of provinces".

There was a tense moment of silence as Rachel inspected the ID badge. Jack was confident that the badge would pass up to scrutiny, it was one of several that he had been issued with during his service with the Time Agency. The fake ID's were designed to pass any validation tests of the time periods they would be used in. Still, they couldn't afford to be complacent. This was a far from normal situation, even if Rachel accepted the ID as genuine she could still question his motives, "Tell me Agent Barrowman", the blonde began, "how did you cross paths with these miscreants?"

As Sarah snorted indignantly, Jack replied, "An anonymous tip hit my desk", he snatch the badge back from Rachel, "apparently these two were seen in close proximity with my target today", he lied smoothly. "After I picked them up, they wove an unbelievable tale of child abduction by your organisation", he stepped a little closer to the desk and smiled broadly at Rachel, "surely someone as pretty as yourself wouldn't be involved in something like that?"

Rachel glared firmly at Jack before slowly turning her attention back to Sarah and Felix. The immortal man looked slightly offended that the blonde clone had proved resistant to his flirting. Instead Rachel was focused firmly on the foster siblings. Something was off with this situation but she couldn't put her finger on what it was, "I apologise for wasting your time Agent Barrowman", Rachel began, "but these two are notorious grifters in their own right". She paused and smirked triumphantly at Sarah, "I wouldn't believe a single word that comes out of their mouths".

"That's a bloody lie", Sarah cried and lunged for Rachel, "she's got my daughter", she added as Felix struggled to hold her back.

"Deeply disturbed", Rachel sighed, "they've been harassing DYAD for months, probably attempting to make a little money".

"Be that as it may", Jack replied, "I still have to check this out". He stood a little straighter and looked the blonde woman firmly in the eye, "I would appreciate it if I could have a tour of your facilities".

For a brief moment Rachel considered this request, her face a mask of indifference, "I'm afraid I can't allow that without a warrant", she stated.

"Got something to hid have ya", Felix spat.

"On the contrary Mr Dawkins", Rachel began, "DYAD is involved in several top secret projects. If you haven't got the required security clearance then I can't allow you entry".

Jack hadn't expected the negotiations to last this long. Usually he would flash an official looking badge and everyone would bend over backwards to accommodate his requests. Rachel was clearly used to playing hard ball so now might be a good time to play his trump card, "I'm sorry Miss Duncan but I must insist", he began, "surely DYAD wouldn't want to be seen as obstructive in a potential case of child abduction? Even if the allegations are false, the press can be extremely unforgiving".

It was hard for Jack to reign in his smirk, this was the sure fire way to get company executive to bend to your will. Any kind of negative press would be disastrous to a company like DYAD and usually they would do anything to prevent adverse publicity. Rachel though appeared to be unmoved which made Jack slightly nervous. His misgivings were shared by Sarah and Felix who looked at each other uncomfortably, "You haven't commented on our likeness", Rachel suddenly blurted out.

"Come again?" Jack frowned.

"Miss Manning and I", the blonde clone continued, "it can't have escaped your attention that we look the same".

"I wouldn't go that far", Jack replied, "one of you is clearly more life worn", she added looking directly at Sarah. The Brit was about to cry out with indignation but a subtle wink from Jack stopped her, "When you've been in this business for as long as I have, nothing surprises you", he added.

Rachel raised one of her perfectly sculptured eyebrows, "Yes, that's what concerns me", she stated, "your lack of surprise suggests one of two things, either you're completely blind which is a poor attribute in an CSIS Agent", her voice slowly began to trail off, her gaze falling towards the top draw of her desk.

"Is there a second part?" Jack asked in confusion.

For a couple of seconds Rachel didn't response, completely lost in her thoughts. Suddenly and without warning she opened the draw and pulled something out. She did this so fast that no one in the room had time to react to the gun in her hand. Barely a second later, the room echoed to the sound of a single gunshot that struck Jack right between the eyes. The head of Torchwood slumped to the ground with a bullet wound in the middle of his forehead.

There was an immediate gasp of shock and horror from the foster siblings as they stared at the dead body of Captain Jack Harkness. Sarah's hands went to her mouth and she began to shake with shock. The man that The Doctor had brought into their rescue mission had been gunned down without warning or provocation. Subconsciously Felix reached out and placed an arm another Sarah, partly to reassure her but partly to support his own shaking legs, "You didn't need to do that", the British clone said once she regained the use of her voice.

"Maybe not", Rachel replied, "but it was better to be safe than sorry". She slowly stood up from behind her desk, her weapon still gripped tightly in her hand, "It's funny, it was in this exact spot that you threatened to shoot me just a few months ago", she added, looking down at the body of Captain Jack.

"That's not funny you sick, twisted bitch", Sarah spat at the floor near Rachel's feet.

Ignoring the vulgar gesture, Rachel continued towards the door, "Clearly you cannot be reasoned with Sarah". She paused and the door, grasping the handle tightly, "Whatever happens to Cosima, Kira and Miss Oswald tonight will be on your conscience forever". She opened the door and passed the weapon to once of her security officers and marched down the corridor without looking back. The door hung open behind her for a few seconds before he closed with a resounding bang.

Now that Rachel was out the room, the quiet panic that had been running through Felix reached a crescendo, "Oh my God, the ice queen actually did it", he cried, barely looking down at the body of Jack.

"Sweet Christmas cake", 'Sarah' cried but she no longer sounded British, "I can't believe she did that", she added with a shaky voice, dry retching a couple of times.

"Alison", Felix grasped her firmly on the arms, "calm down".

"This wasn't part of the plan", Alison replied, "we had the simplest job, distract Rachel long enough for The Doctor and Sarah to mount the rescue". She allowed herself a quickly glance at Jack, "Now Jack's dead and Cosima, Kira and Clara are in more danger than before". The Doctor's plan had been simple, Jack would pose as a government agent which would allow him, Felix and Alison access to the building. Alison would disguise herself the British clone, which would allow the Time Lord and the real Sarah time to search the building. Slight of hand The Doctor called it but nowhere in the plan did he consider that one of them would be shot.

"Is she gone?" a voice called out from the floor. For a brief moment Alison and Felix froze, not fully believing what they heard. Moments later Jack rose from the floor, "I really hate getting shot", he sighed, wiping some blood off his forehead. Seeing the stunned expressions on the faces of his companions, he continued, "Did I forget to mention, I can't die".

"No you bloody well didn't", Felix cried, "Would've been nice to know that before Rachel put a hole in your head".

"Yeah that came as a surprise to me too", Jack wearily pulled himself up off the floor, "nice acting by the way Ali", he smiled at the Canadian clone, "way to get into the part".

A stony faced Alison slowly walked towards Captain Jack, her expression looking even harsher with Sarah's usual level of makeup. She smiled sweetly before slapping him hard across the face, "That's for dying", she said before pulling out a silk handkerchief, "but I'm really happy that you're alive again", she added and wiped the last of the blood off Jack's face. "Now come on you two, we've got to catch up with Rachel", she demanded and headed for the exit.

"And I thought my sister was bossy", Felix sighed and quickly followed after Alison. Jack smiled and straightened his jacket, hopefully the trio would be able to find Clara and the others before Rachel did. The blonde clone had shown that she was willing to use lethal force to get what she wanted, which put everyone in serious jeopardy.


	10. Rescue

_Chapter 10 – Rescue_

True to her word, Rachel had sent a medical team to Cosima's room within a few minutes of leaving. Now alone with Kira in their prison/play room, Clara finally had some time to think about everything she had learned in the last hour or so. Cassie Oswald was an echo that had lived halfway across the world around fifteen years ago. From the information Cosima had given her Cassie had some kind of childhood, she hadn't just appeared one day in San Francisco. Ever since The Doctor told her about the echoes, she wondered whether they simply came into existence fully formed at the right point in the Time Lord's timeline. It appeared that the opposite was true, certainly in Cassie Oswald's case. She had been born in America and lived like a normal child right up to the point that she met the Eighth Doctor.

Even though she had Cassie's memories now, there was a blank patch from the moment that the American had left Cosima's on that fateful New Year's Eve. Several potential explanations flashed across her mind, each just as possible as the other. There was the possibility that her mind was protecting her from viewing the final hours of Cassie's life, shielding her from the mental trauma of dying. Another slightly more morbid explanation was that Cassie hadn't been in control of her actions. The echo had been deposited in the right spot of The Doctor's timeline, waiting for the moment that he would need her help and Cassie had followed a pre-determined course to her death. Clara liked to think that her echo had made some kind of conscious decision to help the Time Lord and she hadn't acted like a sacrificial lemming because it was built into her biology. Without speaking to The Doctor all these theories were exactly that, theories.

Switching her train of thought to something more positive, she recalled the kiss that she had shared with Cosima. Clara had been in a few relationships in her life but nothing had felt as good as the moment that her lips had met Cosima's. Even now she swore she could feel her lips tingling just thinking about the dreadlocked brunette. There was so much passion and electricity behind the kiss that she had literally gone weak at the knees. She couldn't remember ever feeling like this before, even when she was with Jasmine so many years ago.

There were a couple of sticking points though. Part of her wondered how much influence was being exerted by Cassie's personality. Clara had mentally gotten over that hurdle somewhat, when she first bumped into Cosima she had found the woman attractive and that was before she knew about Cassie. That brought the school teacher on to the second and biggest hurdle, Delphine Cormier. Cosima hadn't gone into too much detail about her relationship with the French scientist but the few words she did say were illuminating. The American clone clearly had feelings for the Frenchwoman and even though she stated they were no longer together, Clara could tell that she was still hung up on her.

"You're very quiet", Clara's concentration was broken by Kira's voice, "are you thinking about Auntie Cosima?"

Clara looked curiously at the young girl, this wasn't the first time that Kira had picked up her feelings. There was definitely something peculiar about the girl and that was before she factored in whatever Kira did to calm her mind after Cassie's hidden memories had been unlocked. Clara delayed her response, feeling slightly uncomfortable about sharing her feelings with an eight year old. Kira didn't look like she was waiting for a response, she was still sketching something on a piece of paper. Like the girl's other sketches this one was also of a woman but unlike the others, this woman had curly blonde hair, "Who's this?" the school teacher asked.

"Auntie Helena", Kira stated, "she calls me her angel". The girl continued to colour in the face on the drawing, "She feels different to my other Auntie's, she's so lonely and just wants a place to call home".

"Another clone", Clara muttered under her breath, "how many are there?" The other members of Clone Club had mentioned someone called Beth earlier and with Helena now identified, that brought the count up to six. Clara wondered how no one in the city had noticed several nearly identical looking women wondering around. She understood that Beth had died but that still left five clones within a few miles of each other. The Doctor was right, humans were blind sometimes, "I haven't met Helena", she said to Kira, "perhaps you can introduce me".

"She hasn't been around much", Kira replied, "but she's back now, I hope that she stays a little longer this time". The young girl finished her drawing by scrawling Helena's name on the bottom of the piece of paper, "Auntie Cosima felt happy when she was with you", Kira added, returning back to the original subject, "I haven't felt her that happy before".

Clara frowned, "How do you know all this Kira?" she asked softly.

The young girl took a few moments to reply, "Sometimes I get this feelings from Mom and the Auntie's", she shrugged, "not all the time though and some feelings are stronger than others. I usually feel Auntie Helena when she's lonely or Mom when she's angry".

Settling back into her chair, Clara's frown deepened. She was still new to travelling with The Doctor but even she knew this wasn't normal human behaviour. Sometimes Kira acted like the eight year old she was but others time she seemed much more grown up. There was something much deeper going on behind those deep brown eyes of the young girl. Much like The Doctor's, Kira's eyes looked much older than someone of her age, "How long have you noticed this for?" she asked.

Before Kira could answer the question the door swung open and their heads spun towards the entrance. Standing in the doorway was a handsome looking man with dark hair with a pair of pliers in his hand, "Ah ha, found you at last" he stated with a deep American accent.

"Erm, hello", Clara said with a confused tone, "who the hell are you?"

The man smiled broadly showing off his shiny white teeth, "Captain Jack Harkness", he said smoothly, "and who are you?"

Captain Jack didn't get to hear the answer as someone pushed him from behind. Clara immediately recognised Felix and the person she thought was Sarah. Kira though soon corrected her, "Auntie Alison", the young girl cried and ran up to meet the woman.

"Alison?" Clara stated in amusement, "does Sarah know you've borrowed her clothes?" The soccer mom shot the school teacher a look of annoyance, "My friends always hated it when I borrowed their stuff without telling them".

"Shut up", Alison snapped, "I'm not wearing this horrible ensemble for fun".

"But you wear it so well darling", Felix added with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Clara shrugged her shoulders and turned towards the other man, "Captain Jack Harkness", she stated, "never heard of you, Captain of what exactly?"

Captain Jack looked offended for a moment but that quickly passed, "I'm a friend of The Doctor's" he replied, "has he never mentioned me before?"

"Nope, not that I can remember", the school teacher shook her head. She stopped and gave the man another once over, "Actually now you come to mention it, your name has come up once or twice". A small smile appeared on her face before she broke out into a chuckle, "Sorry, just remembering something funny", she noticed the worried look on the Captain's face, "not about you", she added quickly.

"Uh, sure", Felix interjected himself into the conversation, "the real Sarah and your Doctor friend are going after the queen bitch. We should probably get out of here before someone realises there's two Sarah Manning's running around DYAD Headquarters".

"Wait a sec", Clara began, "what about Cosima? Rachel and her goons have taken her for some medical procedure, we can't just leave her in the building".

The three newcomers to the room exchanged a quick glance with each other. A silent battle of wills took place between Jack and Felix, who looked eager to escape as quickly as possible and Alison, who was a little more hesitant, "We can't hang around here, remember what The Doctor said", the head of Torchwood stated.

"We're not leaving Cosima behind", both Alison and Clara said at the same time.

"Hang on, let me finish my sentence", Jack held up his hands defensively, "I was going to say that you two", he pointed at Felix and Alison, "need to get to the TARDIS with Kira as quickly as possible". He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key attached to a piece of string, "This will protect Kira from wondering eyes-".

"A key on a chain", Clara frowned.

"Yes, it's a special key that stops people from noticing someone if they're wearing it", Alison tried to explain, "The Doctor said something my technical and science-y but I can't remember exactly what he said", the American clone waved her hands stiffly.

"Just nod and agree, works well enough for me", Clara shrugged.

"He and Sarah are wearing one right now and are keeping tabs on Rachel", Jack added, "that's how no one noticed another Sarah in the building but that illusion will be broken the second she takes the key perception filter off". He took one look into Clara's eyes and sighed, "You're going after The Doctor aren't you", the school teacher nodded, "don't worry, I'd do exactly the same thing for my friends but I'm coming with you", he smiled broadly.

Jack went to slip the key over Kira but the child stopped him, "Wait", she scuttled over a fire extinguisher that was sitting in the corner of the room, "you need to take this with you", she said firmly.

"A fire extinguisher?" Felix asked, "I think there's plenty of those dotted around the building sweetie".

"Not like this one", Kira stated, "this one's special", she patted the nozzle gently.

Clara looked at the defiant look on the young girls face and was instantly reminded of Sarah. She could imagine the rebellious clone giving plenty of authority figures that same look over the years. The extinguisher Kira stood next to had been modified by Cosima for defensive purposes. They didn't expect to use it but if there was one thing she had learned from Kira it was to trust her instincts, "Do it", Clara said firmly, much to the disbelief of Jack, "if Kira's says we need it then I believe her".

Jack groaned and shook his head before picking the heavy extinguisher up off the floor. Alison slipped the key around Kira's neck and the young girl disappeared, at least it looked like she had done. The young girl gently grasped Alison's hand, letting her know that she was beside her. The group stepped out into the corridor but they immediately ran into trouble in the shape of a large security guard. Standing behind him was a young man in a white lab coat with large glasses and slightly greasy hair, "Hey where are you going", the guard shouted and approached the group.

"Well, you see", Jack thought about conning his way out of trouble but time was really of the essence. He pulled the fire extinguisher back slightly in his arms before slamming it into the guards face with a sickening crunch. The guard crumpled to the ground, instantly unconscious from the powerful strike, "What about you Skippy?" Jack turned to the scientist, "are you going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"Don't hurt me", the man held up his hands, removing them from the trolley he had been pushing. He then looked past Jack and noticed Alison, "Holy crap", he cried, "Cosima was telling the truth about the secret cloning project". The man bowed his head slightly, almost in reverence to the woman, "It's truly an honour to meet you", he added.

Alison smiled and ruffled her hair at the comment from the young scientist. Clara shook her head and gently slapped Alison on the arm, snapping the soccer mom's mood, "You know Cosima?" she asked the man, "do you know where they've taken her?"

"Yeah I persuaded Rachel to let me help", he answered, "I thought that it would help if Cosima had at least one friendly face nearby".

"As much as I love this greeting card moment", Felix interrupted, "we really need to get Kira out of here".

"Right yes", Jack began, "you two head back to the TARDIS", he pointed at Felix and Alison, "I trust you remember the way", they nodded in agreement. They stepped over the fallen security guard and quickly moved down the corridor, "Clara, our new friend and I will go help Cosima", he called out, dropping the extinguisher onto the trolley. "Hi Captain Jack Harkness at your service and that's Clara Oswald", Clara gave the man a small wave.

Jack smiled broadly at the scientist and gave him a wink, "S-Scott", the man stammered in response.

"Nice to meet you Scottie", Jack replied, "are you ready to be a hero?"

"Stop it", Clara hissed, "we've got more important problems to address than your libido". She turned to Scott, "Can you show us the way?" the scientist nodded slowly, feeling overwhelmed by the situation he found himself in.

As Scott led Clara down the corridor, Jack pouted for a moment, "Spoilsport", he then broke into smile, "God I've missed this", he dashed down the corridor, his blue coat flapping behind him. Two people had been saved, now all they needed to do was find Cosima before Rachel did something drastic.

 _ **A/N -** Just wanted to give a quick shout out to a guest reviewer, ChairandBooks, for their review. I really appreciated the comments and I completely agree with your thoughts on crossovers. I've tried to focus equally on the Doctor Who and Orphan Black characters and it's surprising how well both universes fit together. Obviously the temptation is for The Doctor to swoop in and save the day. He does his fair share of saving but the other's pull their weight as well. _

_Four chapters left, next time the Time Lord meets the Pro Clone but can he persuade her to help treat Cosima?_


	11. The Fall

_Chapter 11 – The Fall_

Cosima felt extremely uncomfortable on her latest bed, probably due to the prodding and probing she had just gone through. She should've been used to it by now but no matter how many medical procedures she endured, they still left her feeling sore. The degenerative disease originated as polyps in the uterus, indirectly causing infertility in the majority of the clones. In a number of cases the polyps spread to the lungs, leading to a slow, debilitating death. Cosima herself knew of two other clones that had been inflicted with the disease, Jennifer Fitzsimmons and Katja Obinger. Despite DYAD's best efforts Jennifer slowly wasted away from the illness. Katja wasn't given the option of treatment but on reflection, Cosima thought her sudden death at the hands of Helena was probably a blessing for the German clone.

As the last of the doctor's departed, all Cosima could do was lay back and wait for the procedure to start. She tried to think positively and almost instantly her thoughts drifted towards Clara. The scientist was still confused with all the feelings she was experiencing for the brunette. It wasn't that long ago she was still pining for Delphine now all thoughts of the Frenchwoman had been swept aside by Clara. The kiss between them had been electrifying though, at least if Cosima died in the immediate future she would have that moment as one of her final memories.

The door to the hospital suite opened and Cosima could see a couple of blurry shapes heading in her direction. Her glasses had been removed during the pre operation procedures and placed on a small table beside her bed. Ignoring the burning sensation in her lungs, she rolled over and grabbed them, instantly bringing the blurs into focus, "Hey", she said weakly in Rachel's direction, "come to wish your sister a speedy recovery", she added with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

Rachel raised an eyebrow but didn't offer a verbal response to her statement. The blonde haired clone stepped a little closer to the bed but Cosima's focus was solely on the man behind her. Despite the surgical attire she recognised the brown eyes and glasses belonging to her lab partner Scott Smith. He gave her a reassuring nod and then pointed to an object on the side of the trolley he had wheeled in. Cosima noticed that it was the fire extinguisher that she and Clara had modified in their holding cell. A sense of relief washed over Cosima, at the very least Clara and Kira were safe, "Don't worry, everything's going to plan", Scott said cryptically.

Fortunately Rachel didn't appear to be paying attention to the other scientist, she only had her eyes on Cosima. The dreadlocked woman frowned curiously as Scott turned to an empty space and whispered softly, "If you run into trouble, give it a squeeze", he pointed at the extinguisher. He gave Cosima one final nod and left her seemingly alone with Rachel.

Cosima ignored whatever Rachel was trying to say, instead focusing on the spot where Scott had spoken. She couldn't put her finger on it but Cosima could swear that someone else was watching over her but every time she tried to focus on the area, her gaze would shift somewhere else. Suddenly she felt someone grab her around the face and forcefully turn her head, "At least have the decency to listen when I'm speaking", Rachel spat.

"Didn't think I needed to", Cosima ground out, "I was just expecting the usual taunting crap that I've come to expect from you".

Rachel's eyes flashed dangerously at her clone and even Cosima seemed surprised by her bold choice of words. The blonde woman dangled a couple of vials in front of Cosima, they were filled with blood, "If you had been listening", she pushed back on Cosima's head and released her grip, "you would've known that I hold the key to your successful treatment in my hands". Cosima's eyes widened slightly, her stem cell treatment, "If I were you, I would play a little nicer".

Straightening herself up in her bed, Cosima replied, "What do you want?"

"The little act you and Miss Oswald put on earlier won't fool me", Rachel began, "I want to know exactly who Clara is".

Cosima pondered the question for a moment before stating, "Alright you want the truth?" Rachel inched a little closer in anticipation, "Clara Oswald is a school teacher originally from Blackpool", she could see Rachel's lip quivering with anger, "seriously dude, you need to chill out. You're like totally paranoid and shit", she added with a little smirk.

By now Rachel was literally shaking with anger and it took all of Cosima's self control not to look smug. Rachel was still largely unknown to her, she know how she going to react and rubbing her defeat in her nose would probably make the situation worse. "If that's the game you want to play", Rachel raised the vials over her head, "Just remember, you brought this on yourself".

The dreadlocked scientist was expecting to see the glass tube smash on the ground but to her surprise, Rachel didn't move. The blonde haired woman looked at her raised arm in surprise, she was trying to move it but something had a firm grip on her wrist. Suddenly the vials were ripped out her grasp and Rachel went flying across the room like someone had kicked her in the stomach. She crashed into a metal trolley and hit the ground hard. To Cosima's shock Sarah appeared in the room out of nowhere. She had the stem cell tubes in one hand and a piece of string with a key attached in the other hand, "Keep your bloody hands off my sister", the British clone spat angrily.

Moments later someone else appeared in the room, a man outwardly in his mid twenties. He pushed his floppy brown hair away from his eyes and straightened his bow tie, "A little uncouth but effective", he stated. Sarah merely smirked in the direction of the man, not really caring what he thought about her actions, "You must be Cosima", he continued, "I'm The Doctor".

Cosima breathed a sigh of relief, "Clara said you'd come", she suddenly sat up, bringing on a violent coughing fit. When it had passed and she had wiped the blood away from her mouth, she was able to ask, "What about Clara and Kira?" she said breathlessly.

"You can ask me yourself", Clara's voice called out as she pushed aside some plastic sheet. She marched over to Cosima's bedside and through her arms around the clone. The pair melted into the embrace, drinking the reassurance of physical contact. Clara gently played with Cosima's dreads and whispered into the scientist's ear, "Don't worry, we got her out".

The Doctor at the reunion happening in front of him, genuinely feeling happy that his companion had found someone she cared about. Even the usually stoic Sarah gave a small smile at the toothy grin on her sisters face just at the sight of Clara. Leaving the couple to their moment, The Doctor turned his attention to the fallen Rachel, "Now, what to do about you?" he said coldly.

Rachel touched her lip with her fingers, wiping a little bit of blood away from a small cut inflicted by the trolley. She gingerly stood up but trying to retain a calm outer appearance, "Are you here to kill me Doctor?"

The Time Lord snorted, "That's not my style", he began to pace, "normally if a large corporation did something that threatened the safety of my friends, I would make sure that the company couldn't do anything to hurt anyone again". He stopped pacing and glared at Rachel, "But I'm going to have to do something different this time".

"Really?" Clara asked in confusion.

"It does go against my better judgement", The Doctor continued, "however, this clone experiment probably goes much deeper than DYAD. Pulling the plug could place Sarah and the others in greater danger".

Rachel suddenly reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the same hand gun that she used to shoot Jack, "Perhaps I should make your decision a little easier Doctor".

The Time Lord held his hands up defensively and moved defensively in front of Clara and the two clones, "Let's not make any rash decisions Rachel", he said calmly, "no one else needs to get hurt".

"What about the hurt I feel everyday Doctor?" Rachel shouted with a shaky voice, "all I ever wanted to have a child of my own. I was led to believe that my infertility was nature's cruel joke until my own father tells me that we were designed this way".

"So you've got Daddy issues", Sarah shot back, "haven't we all, doesn't mean that we all have to suffer. Ethan's back in your life now so what's the problem".

"My father's dead", Rachel was mentally falling apart in front of them. After many years on the run Ethan Duncan, one of the men behind Project Leda, had been found and handed over to DYAD. Before he could share the secrets of human cloning, he had taken his own life in front of his adopted daughter to prevent DYAD from restarting the project. "Tell me Sarah, why does a tramp like you get blessed the gift of motherhood?"

Sarah was about to respond with something inflammatory but a firm glare from The Doctor stopped her. He nodded his head and the British clone slowly moved behind him, "We've all experienced great loss", the Time Lord began, "but its how we deal with it that defines you as a human". He opened his arms, "Look at the three of you, the very pinnacle of human ambition. You should be united rather than fighting against each other". He held out his hand, "Join them Rachel, join your fellow sisters".

A few tears began to fall from Rachel's eye. Everything she had been working towards had fallen apart in a matter of minutes. Her own father had killed himself rather than share his research with her, "There's no place for me in this world you've described Doctor", she said with a resigned sigh. She was about to squeeze the trigger when she was sudden hit in the face with a blast of carbon dioxide gas from the fire extinguisher.

For a few moments it didn't look like anything had happened but then it became apparent that Rachel was in some kind of distress. Lodged in his left eye was one of the pencils that Kira had been using to draw with in her holding cell. Cosima and Clara had modified the extinguisher to act as a small projectile cannon. Once the pressure was released by Sarah squeezing on the nozzle, the pencil shot out the end at tremendous speed.

Rachel dropped the gun and staggered back for a couple of moments. She let out a strangled cry of pain before collapsing to the ground. The Doctor grasped his hands behind his head and slowly walked over to the fallen woman. She checked her pulse and noticed that she was still breathing, "She's still alive", he sighed, "the pencil must've breached her cranial cavity and damaged her brain".

"I'm sorry Doctor", Sarah said, "but it was us or her".

"I know", the Time Lord said with a tone of heavy resignation, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it". He bent down and gently caressed Rachel's cheek and whispered, "I'm so sorry". He slowly stood up and looked at the three women, "Jack's outside keeping watch, we should probably get out of here before someone comes looking".

Cosima and the other agreed and the dreadlocked clone struggled to pull herself out of bed. She was helped gently by Clara and Sarah and the pair supported the scientist from either side. The only positive that had come out of the encounter in the hospital suite was that Sarah had been able to save the stem cell treatment. At the very least Cosima could get the treatment she needed but it had come at the cost of Rachel Duncan. Once DYAD found out what happened to the head of the clone project they wouldn't happy. Clone club would have to brace themselves for the fallout from his incident.

 _ **A/N –**_ _So Rachel still gets a pencil in the face (anyone who's seen the Season 4 finale probably wishes she would get the same treatment again) but now the stem cells treatment is safely in the hands of The Doctor. How will this affect Clone Club?_

 _Little story I want to share, kinda related to the story but not at the same time. You can get POP Vinyl Orphan Black figures, one of which is Rachel with a pencil through the eye. I ordered this one but somehow the seller got it mixed up with an Elsa from Frozen figure. Whilst I was a little miffed I can't help but feel for the child that inevitably got my figure instead. Probably traumatised them for life._


	12. Safe At Last

_Chapter 12 – Safe At Last  
_

The Doctor had parked the TARDIS just around the corner from DYAD headquarters and the current occupants paced the floor impatiently. Alison had partially cleaned herself up, tying her hair back into a ponytail and removing the heavy make-up she wore to portray Sarah. Felix hovered nervously around the console, too afraid to actually touch anything in case he accidentally blew a hole in the city. The only one of the three not overwhelmed by the situation was Kira. The young girl sat in the jump seat and gazed curiously at the Time Rotor.

She knew before the adults that someone was approaching and ran towards the door before it even opened. Leading the way The Doctor, closely followed by Sarah and Clara. Lastly Jack squeezed himself through the door with Cosima in his arms, "Oh my gosh", Alison exclaimed, "what happened?"

"No biggie", Cosima waived away the concerns of her sister, "the doctors gave me a pre med in anticipation of my treatment. Downside is that I can't feel anything below my waist right now".

The Doctor quickly pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the dreadlocked scientist. After checking the reading it took everything in his power not to look grim. Cosima's life expectancy could be measured in hours now rather than years, "Sarah do you have the stem cell treatment?" he asked the British woman. The brunette fumbled inside her leather jacket and produced the glass vials, "Since you're already anaesthetised Cosima, perhaps you would allow me to perform the procedure".

"Are you qualified?" Clara asked curiously, she didn't want any harm to come to Cosima.

"Please", the Time Lord straightened his bow tie, "I have several degrees, one of them is in medicine". He paused and frowned, "One of them is also in cheese making which was actually harder to obtain. Weirdly there is some cross over between...", his voice trailed off as he could feel the glared from the other occupants of the TARDIS, "right, yes time is off the essence, best go and prepare the medical bay". He hurried off towards one of the other rooms in the time ship, "Put us in flight Clara".

"Wait", Cosima called out, "I want Clara with me".

The Time Lord groaned and ran back to the console, "Fine, if you want something doing", he grumbled and flicked one of the levers. The Time Rotor let out a loud groan and began oscillating gently, indicating they were now in motion. "Jack bring the patient through, Clara follow me", he added and the group soon disappeared.

Sarah had only half heard the conversation going on around her, she was too busy checking that Kira wasn't hurt. She inspected the young girls head for any cuts and bruises, "I'm fine Mommy", she tried to reassure her mother, "Auntie Cosima and Auntie Clara took care of me".

"Oh so she's Auntie Clara now", Sarah smirked, "she'll have to return home soon, you know that don't ya monkey?"

Kira nodded slowly, "I know but her and Auntie Cosima will always find each other", she replied with a knowing tone.

The British clone blinked a couple of times, she had become accustomed to the unusual things that her daughter said. She picked up the young girl in her arms and turned her attention back to the others, "I want those jeans back Alison", she joked much to the annoyance of the soccer mom.

"You're welcome to them", Alison shuddered slightly, "Lord knows what despicable things you've done in these". Before Sarah could register her displeasure Alison continued, "We ran into someone during our escape from DYAD", she leaned in a little closer, "does the name Marion Bowles mean anything to you?"

"Marion Bowles?" Jack said as he re-entered the console room, "CEO of a company called Topside if I recall. What was she doing in DYAD headquarters?"

"Well firstly she thought I was you", Alison said to Sarah, "which I took great offence to", the British clone snorted in annoyance, "but she said that she would smooth out any unpleasant business that came out of our little adventure".

"Does that include seriously injuring Rachel?" Sarah replied bluntly, "she was going to kill Cosima so I shot her in the eye with a pencil".

Felix and the others winced, "Ouch, what a terrible waste of a pencil".

"Felix watch your tone", Alison snapped, "there's children present", she nodded her head towards Kira. She turned back to Sarah and added, "She wants to meet you, tomorrow", Alison reached into her borrowed hoodie and pulled out a business card and handed to Sarah.

The British clone took one look at the address and whistled, "Fancy part of the city", she commented, "old Marion must have a few quid spare".

"That's putting it mildly", Jack began, "Topside have their fingers in many pies", he took a deep breath, "including Torchwood and UNIT".

"I thought they were both Government agencies", Felix frowned, "how can a business like Topside influence them".

"Torchwood's easy to explain, technically we're not controlled by the Government anymore", Jack replied. "I've been working for years to get Torchwood back on its feet but it took heavy investment from Marion Bowles and Topside to get the financials we needed". He paused to allow that information to sink in, "UNIT's a little harder to explain, mostly because I don't know the whole story".

Sarah turned the business card over in her hand and looked at Jack, "Do you trust her?" Jack stared at the British clone but didn't give a verbal response, "Yeah, that's what I thought", Sarah added sadly.

In the medical bay Clara had taken her position at Cosima's bedside. At The Doctor's insistence she had changed into a pair of medical scrubs complete with paper hat and surgical gloves. The moment Cosima laid eyes on the school teacher she laughed loudly, "That's a good look, very ravishing".

"Ravishing?" Clara raised an eyebrow and gave a little twirl, "not bad, I was going for sexy". Cosima blushed deeply as Clara walked over to her and took a seat at her bedside, "You're going to be fine Cos", she said reassuringly, grasping her hand firmly.

"Am I?" the dreadlocked scientist replied with a quiver in her voice, "I've accepted the fact that I was going to die, that I was going to be reunited with Cassie". She brushed a few loose strands of hair way from Clara's cheek, "Didn't think it would be like this though".

"I'm sorry that she can't be with you", Clara leaned forward and whispered into Cosima's ear. Even though Clara had only known this woman for a few hours, thanks to Cassie Oswald's memories it felt like a lifetime. Clara had never been one of those people who believed in love at first sight. She still didn't really but she definitely felt strongly attracted to Cosima. It was a strong, more powerful emotion than lust but Clara still wasn't sure if it was her own feelings or the remnants of Cassie slipping through.

"You're cute when you're thinking", Cosima smiled, "and I bet you're thinking about Cassie, right?"

Clara nodded, "Kinda hard not to, I've never felt this strongly for anyone before but I barely know you". She let out a deep sigh, "I'm just really confused right, I mean what are we?"

"Just two people", Cosima said firmly, "right now we're not Clara Oswald the impossible girl or Cosima Niehaus the clone. We're just two people trying to find their place in this crazy world". She looked at Clara with her dark brown eyes, "Try not to think about what Cassie would do and think about what you want to do, you're two separate people after all".

Taking Cosima's words onboard, Clara bit her lip before carefully removing the clones glasses. With them stored in a safe place, she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. The kiss didn't set off the same mental fireworks like the one they shared in their holding cell. If anything it was better, it was warm, tender and Clara put every part of her soul behind it. Cosima's words rung true for the school teacher, even without the aid of Cassie's memories she still would've fallen for the scientist. For the first time since realising their connection she knew this to be true.

The couple's moment was interrupted by the sound of The Doctor clearing his throat, "Is that really appropriate just before surgery?"

"Could be my last chance to do that Doctor", Cosima smiled without taking her gaze off Clara.

"Does that mean I'm your nurse", Clara teased the dreadlocked clone.

The Doctor made a sickly sounding noise, "I love seeing two loved up people as much as the next person but there's a time and a place for flirting".

Clara rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the Time Lord, "You're criticizing my hygiene when you're about to perform an operation dressed like that".

The Time Lord looked down at his clothes and frowned. He hadn't changed out of his normal outfit, the only adjustment was to remove his jacket and put on a pair of surgical gloves, "Unlike you humans, I don't carry as much bacteria on my body", he said defensively.

"If you don't mind me asking Doctor, where did you get your medical degree?" Cosima asked, "Did it come out a packet of cereal".

"You two are going to be trouble", he pointed between the now giggling pair of woman. "If you must know I attended the Matron Hame Memorial University of Medicine in New New York". He picked up one of the vials of stem cells and placed them into a syringe, "I would've taken you there but I didn't think you could handle being operated on by a group of humanoid cats".

"Cats?" Cosima looked at Clara, "is he being serious?"

Clara frowned in the direction of the Time Lord, "Not sure, I think he makes this up as he goes along".

"Since you're under a great amount of personal stress, I'll let that one slide Clara Oswald", The Doctor stated. Once he was satisfied that the syringe was ready he looked over to Cosima, "There's no polite way to ask a lady this", he began and eyed up the leg stirrups that were attached to the bed.

"I know the drill Doc", Cosima sighed and spread her legs apart so they slotted into the stirrups. "The stem cell injection needs to go into the polyps in my uterus", she explained to Clara, "hence the rather undignified position".

A small smile appeared on Clara face, "I dunno, I can think of one benefit to this position".

Almost instantly a deep blush appeared on Cosima's face and even The Doctor's ears turned a vibrant shade of red, "What did I say about appropriate conversation in the medical room?" he scolded his companion.

"I dunno, I've always like naughty nurses", Cosima said with a saucy tone. She could feel the annoyance coming off the Time Lord by now, "I'm sorry Doctor, I'm just trying to lighten the mood".

The Doctor said nothing in response, choosing to maintain the moral high ground. He very carefully manoeuvred himself into position and administered the stem cells to Cosima. Even though the anaesthetic meant that she couldn't feel the injection, the dreadlocked scientist still gripped Clara's hand tightly for support. "There, that should do it", the Time Lord declared.

"Really?" Cosima asked, "I thought the injection would need to be administered to all the polyps individually".

"If I was using your primitive medical technology that would be true", he replied, "I didn't just pick up a degree in New New York, I borrowed some of their all purpose molecular stabiliser. It allows treatments like this to be administered quicker and also lasts much longer".

A hopefully look appeared on both Cosima and Clara's faces, "Does that mean-", Clara began.

"No it's not a total cure", The Doctor interrupted, "but it should buy you a few years to work on a more permanent solution". He checked Cosima's vitals, making sure that everything was going according to plan, "Once the anaesthetic wears off you're free to go", he added. "I'll leave you two alone, try not to engage in any vigorous activity", The Doctor removed his gloves and left the couple alone in the medical bay.

"I don't believe it", Cosima was close to tears, "I thought this treatment would give me a few extra months but now I've got years".

Clara smiled and wiped the clone's eyes, "Scooch over would you", she said and nudged the clone in the ribs.

"I thought The Doctor said no vigorous activity", Cosima replied with a cheeky smile.

"Get your mind out the gutter Cos", Clara chuckled, "I was just going to lie down". Cosima complied and shuffled to one side, allowing Clara to lie down on the bed. She wrapped an arm protectively around the clone and the pair laid there in each other's arms. No further words were exchanged but as they both drifted off to sleep, they couldn't help but feel satisfied and content.


	13. Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

_Chapter 13 –Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow  
_

Felix's apartment was buzzing with the sound of music coming from an old record player in the corner of the room. The various members of Clone Club watched on as The Doctor showed off his special dance move which Sarah likened to a giraffe crossing a frozen lake. The Time Lord had many talents but dancing wasn't one of them, at least in this body. Cosima was just behind him, trying her best to copy the alien's unique moves. The dreadlocked scientist looked a lot brighter than she did a few hours ago. The stem cell treatment would take several days to be fully effective but the brunette was already feeling the positive benefits.

Clara watched the scene in front of her with a look of bemusement on her face. Weirdly The Doctor and Cosima were well matched dance partners. Both of them moved very fluidly, almost to the point that it looked like they had no control over their limbs. The difference was that Cosima actually had a sense of rhythm, unlike the Time Lord.

The atmosphere was celebratory, Cosima was on the road to recovery and Kira had been rescued from the clutches of DYAD. For tonight at least they could forget about the repercussions of eliminating Rachel from the immediate picture and this mysterious Marion Bowles figure. Clara was perched on one of Felix's tables when she noticed the paintings of Sarah, Alison and Cosima on display. The British man certainly had a talent, she had captured their essences perfectly on canvas.

As she admired the painting of Cosima, Clara couldn't help but wonder what the future held for the couple. Tonight she would hop back in the TARDIS and return home, thousands of miles away from Cosima. The one small blessing was that they were both in the same time period so they could still contact each other. Quite where their relationship, if you could even call it that, went from here was anyone's guess. Clara liked the scientist but she was worried that once the euphoria wore off, Cosima would realise that she was just trying to replace Cassie. It had been a while since she had a long term relationship and the school teacher wasn't sure if she was ready for anything serious. Whatever happened though, Clara was going to enjoy every minute of it.

Clara slurped the last of her drink down which was some alcoholic cocktail that Sarah had thrown together from the stuff she found in the cupboard. She turned her head back to the centre of the room but found her vision filled with a mass of blonde curly hair, "Helena", she gasped, "you scared me".

Helena gave the school teacher a small smile, similar to one a naughty child would give their mother after getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Clara wasn't really sure what to make of the latest addition to Clone Club. Not long after The Doctor landed the TARDIS in the apartment, Helena was dropped off by some Detective called Arthur Bell. The dark skinned man took one look at the blue Police Box in the corner of the room and merely rolled his eyes before practically shoving Helena into the room.

From what the other sister's told her, Helena had been raised in a strict religious convent in Ukraine. Under the misguided belief that she was the original clone she had gone on to kill at least four other clones, one of which was Katja Obinger in full view of Sarah. She was somewhat reformed although Clara could feel the mistrust from the other clones, Alison most of all. Typically it was Cosima who made the first move, accepting Helena with no strings attached or with any malice for her past actions. There was definitely a predatory look in Helena's eyes, they were always darting around like she was either trying to find a target or protect herself from danger. There was a child like quality to her as well and it was this playful side that the school teacher was experiencing right now, "You love science sestra", the blonde giggled with her thick Eastern European accent.

"Love's a strong word Helena", Clara sighed, "I only met her a few hours ago".

"I see the way you look at her", Helena replied, "like a puppy dog looks at their mother".

"Alright meat head, that's enough", Sarah come over and interrupted their conversation, "stop bothering Clara".

"She wasn't bothering me", Clara stated, seeing the wounded expression on Helena's face, "in fact I found her extremely insightful".

Sarah's glanced at Helena in bemusement and snorted, "Whatever". She handed Clara a shot glass containing some brown liquid, "Get that down yer neck".

Clara sniffed the liquid and recoiled instantly, "What the hell is this?" she queried, "because it smells like petrol".

"Might as well be", Alison stated, joining the small group, "it's probably better for you than the toxic stuff Sarah usually drinks".

The school teacher's gaze quickly flicked between all three clones as a small look of realisation flashed across her face, "I know what this is", she began, "this is one of those 'harm my sister and I'll harm you' conversations isn't it". Alison looked offended at the suggestion whereas Sarah and Helena smirked evilly, "Well you don't have to worry because I won't do anything to hurt Cosima".

"Bloody right you won't", Sarah replied, "otherwise meat head here won't be happy", she nudged Helena on the shoulder.

"Do not call me this", Helena grumbled under her breath.

"Now less yapping and more drinking", Sarah forcefully clinked her shot glass against Clara's, "You're giving us Brits a bad name". She downed her shot without blinking and waited in anticipation for Clara to do hers. Taking a deep breath, Clara threw the liquid down her throat and swallowed quickly. The drink tasted worse than it smelt and the burning sensation in her mouth was unbearable. It took all of Clara's will power not to throw the drink up, "That's what I'm talking about", Sarah slapped Clara on the back. The school teacher glared at the British clone and wondered if she was putting her through his torment on purpose.

Across the room The Doctor and Cosima had stopped dancing and were watching Clara and the others with great curiosity, "Should I go and save her?" the Time Lord asked.

"Nah, they won't cause any longer term damage", Cosima chuckled. She then stood awkwardly next to the Time Lord, there were so many questions she wanted to him. All of her nerdy fantasies had come true and she was standing next to a real life alien. Her excitement was somewhat tempered by the fact that her first interaction with The Doctor involved him injecting something into her uterus. Not how she imagined making first contact with an alien, "I wanted to thank you", she began, "helping us get Kira back and saving the stem cell treatment".

"Hey", the Time Lord straightened his jacket and stood a little taller, "it's what I do".

"How long will it last?" she asked nervously, "truthfully, how long will this treatment last?"

The Doctor looked into the dreadlocked scientist's eyes, part of him wanted to say that it would last for the rest of her life but that wasn't strictly true. He didn't want to subject Cosima to his Rule Number One, "I don't know", he sighed, "could be a year, could be five, could be fifty". He watched as Cosima visibly deflated in front of his eyes, "There's so much about the synthetic sequences that are unknown to me. Truth is that I could spend years studying yours and your sister's biology".

"I could come with you", Cosima asked hopefully. She didn't know what prompted her to ask The Doctor to travel with him. Maybe it was the desire to stay as close to Clara as possible.

"Cosima I would like nothing more", he began but his voice trailed off as he glanced at the other clones.

"But my sister's need me", Cosima sighed. If there were ever going to fully understand their biology and their purpose, Cosima needed to stay in Toronto with the others. She was the only one capable of interpreting the science involved in human cloning.

"The TARDIS door is always open", The Doctor added, "it would truly be an honour to take one of the first human clones out into the wider universe". Cosima gave the Time Lord and weak smile but kept her gaze firmly on Clara. The school teacher was now onto her third shot of Sarah's favourite bourbon and was looking a little worse for wear. "I think you'll be good for her", The Doctor suddenly blurted out.

"Come again?" Cosima's attention was now firmly back on the Time Lord.

"I think you'll be good for Clara", The Doctor sighed, "I worry about her sometimes. I worry that I'm all she has to live for".

Cosima frowned, "That's a little dramatic don't you think Doc".

The Doctor didn't reply for a moment, not even to chastise Cosima for shorting his name. "The echoes purpose, their sole purpose was to save my life", he continued, "where do you think they got that desire from". Cosima's eyebrows shot her and her gaze snapped back to Clara, "Someday I believe the real Clara will do what her echoes did and die in some reckless attempt to save my life because she feels like it's her job to protect me". Clara was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol, she was giggling wildly and playing with Helena's frizzy hair, "But if she had an anchor, someone other than me in her life", he continued.

"Woah wait a minute Doc", Cosima shook her hands, her bracelets jingling with every movement, "this is some heavy shit you're laying on me".

"Sorry I wasn't trying to force you into anything", the Time Lord replied, "allow an old alien to dream of a happy ending". The Doctor rubbed his eyes, by now Clara had found the bourbon bottle and was about to drink straight from it, "And I think that's our cue to leave", he groaned and walked over to the other clones and his companion.

"Hey look who it is", Clara cheered, "it's chin boy everyone", she grabbed the Time Lord's jaw and squeezed forcefully.

"Alright Clara, time to get you home", The Doctor tried to release Clara's vice like grip from his face.

"Aww", Clara whined, "I wanted to stay with Cossie for a little longer", the more of the sentence she spoke, the more of an West Coast twang slipped in, "I was totes gonna rock her world tonight", she attempted to whisper quietly but it came out quite loudly.

"Maybe another time", Cosima replied before she realised what she was promising. She gently took Clara in her arms and hugged her tightly, "You better call me the moment you get back", she whispered into her ear.

Instantly sobering up, Clara pulled back slightly and kissed Cosima gently, "You can count on it". She attempted to walk but stumbled after a couple of steps. Fortunately she fell straight into The Doctor arms, "I might be a little drunk", the school teacher hiccupped.

"Come along Oswald", The Doctor groaned, "I have some anti hangover patches that you thank me for in the morning", he added, practically dragging the brunette into the TARDIS.

"Thank you again Doctor", Alison gave him one final wave, "you brought the whole family back together".

"Yeah what she said", Sarah added, "don't be a stranger now".

"Goodbye Doctor man", Helena grunted but still gave the bow tie wearing alien a small wave.

"Until next time Clone Club", The Doctor smiled gleefully, pulling Clara into the TARDIS and shutting the door behind him.

The instant the door closed Cosima slapped Sarah on the arm, "What's the big idea, getting Clara drunk just before she has to leave".

"Hey I just gave her one shot", Sarah replied defensively, "she was the one who poured the rest. Not my fault the little lightweight can't handle her drink". The British clone gave the blue box one final look, "Something tells me we haven't seen the last of The Doctor".

As the other three clones looked at the TARDIS wistfully, Helena had other things on her mind, "Where is sestra brother?" she asked. The others looked around the apartment, they hadn't seen Felix for a while. Captain Jack was strangely absent on the room as well. They soon got their answer when the TARDIS door flew open and a half naked Felix was bundled outside. His hair was dishevelled and there were a few red marks on his body. It didn't take an active imagination to know what he had been up to and who with.

"Can I at least have my jeans back?" Felix called into the ship. Seconds later his black jeans were thrown out of her TARDIS, wrapping themselves around his face, "Thank you", came the muffled reply.

The TARDIS began to groan and slowly dematerialise from the room, blowing a gentle breeze through the member's Clone Club. Helena gasped and garbled something in Ukrainian as she watched the box disappear, leaving the others to smile at her shocked reaction. Even though Clara was gone, Cosima wasn't too upset. Deep in her heart she knew that Sarah was right, she would see The Doctor and Clara again. Someday.

 _ **A/N**_ _– Now I know what you're thinking, what a crappy place to leave Cosima and Clara with their relationship in limbo. Fear not there is an epilogue/launchpad for a sequel still to come. Just an advanced warning, it will involve a time skip to event after the season 4 finale of Orphan Black. If you haven't seen it yet firstly what have you been doing and secondly there will be spoilers ahead._


	14. Epilogue: When One Door Opens

_Chapter 14 – Epilogue: When One Door Opens..._

With a heavy groan Clara forced the door of her flat open, stumbling on the step, "Really need to talk to the landlord about that", she mumbled at the stiff lock. Flicking the lights on, she carelessly dropped her handbag and kicked her shoes off. They clattered into the wall, landing in a heap across the hallway carpet. Long day didn't even begin to describe Clara's day at work. For the Spring Term she had somehow managed to end up with her Year 10's for a double period. Nearly two hours stuck in a classroom with Courtney Woods and her little gang, someone out there was trying to torture her.

She went into the kitchen and poured herself a healthy glass of red wine before taking it into the front room. She thought about finding some trashy television show to watch, something with 'Real Housewives' in the title. Instead she noticed the book she had been reading for the last few days on the table where she left it last night. Finding her place she smiled and settled into an evening with her new favourite book, The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Nearly eight months had passed since meeting Cosima and the other member's of Clone Club in Toronto and not a second went past without the school teacher thinking about the dreadlocked clone. They had regular conversations on Skype but that wasn't the same as speaking face to face. The conversation fluctuated during that time, from what Clara understood the clones had been having almost as many adventures as she had. From meeting a group of male clones, mouth bots, the Brightborn Corporation and a shady cop, things certainly weren't dull for Clone Club.

Despite the irregular calls, Clara never felt closer to Cosima than she did right now. She had helped her through the disappearance of Delphine, to this day there were conflicting reports about whether she was dead or alive. The Frenchwoman had come back to DYAD as Rachel's replacement and categorically told Cosima that their relationship couldn't continue. Clara expected the scientist to be more heartbroken than she was but Cosima had taken it surprisingly well. A small, selfish part of Clara was happy that one obstacle to a proper relationship with Cosima was out the way. Not that she voiced that to anyone, other than The Doctor of course.

Healthwise Cosima was holding up well. She hadn't displayed any side effects to the stem cell treatment but she was still determined to find a more permanent cure. The treatment The Doctor gave her utilised technology from billions of years into the future. There was no chance of her replicating her own treatment so she had to come up with something using twenty first century technology.

Clara turned the page of her book and to her surprise, there was a knock at her front door. It was well after 8pm, no one usually dropped in at this time of night, except The Doctor but he typically just landed the TARDIS in her front room. Marking her page in her book she smoothed her hair down and padded down the hallway. When she opened the door, Clara got the surprise of her life, "Cosima", she cried, "what the hell are you doing here?"

Cosima didn't offer a vocal explanation, instead she crossed the threshold and placed her hands on Clara's cheeks. She pulled the school teacher close for a searing kiss so powerful that Clara could feel her knees buckling. When Cosima pulled away, she could see a slightly haunted look behind the thick framed glasses, "Wow, hello to you too", she gasped breathlessly.

"I'm sorry for showing up unannounced", Cosima straightened her glasses in an attempt to regain her composure". She stepped aside and revealed a suitcase behind her, "Surprise", she added with a half smile. Several thoughts were running through Clara head at that moment and she stood rooted to the spot. Concerned by her inaction Cosima's shoulders slumped and she gaze at the floor, "I hope you don't mind but I've kinda invited myself to stay". Clara frowned slightly, there was something that Cosima wasn't telling her, "If you don't want me here, I can find a hotel or-".

The rest of the clone's sentence was cut off by Clara's lips pressed very firmly against hers. The school teacher grabbed a handful of dreads with one hand, making sure that Cosima wasn't going to go anywhere. After several moments they broke apart, resting their foreheads against each other, "Wow, I should've visited sooner", Cosima gasped.

"Yeah you should've", Clara whispered, "but you're here now, that's all that matters". Taking Cosima by the hand she led her into her flat, making sure to kick her discarded shoes out the way. During all of their conversations they never discussed what their relationship status was. Their discussions were more like a couple in a long distance relationship than a couple of friends catching up. Given the unique nature of their biology, attaching labels seemed rather pointless.

Both of them had their suitors in the last few months. Without her knowledge Felix had signed Cosima up to a dating website. To her surprise she actually got a date with a woman called Shay. The pair met up but Cosima quickly told her that she just wanted to be friends. Clara too had interest from someone, a teacher at her school by the name of Danny Pink. He even asked her out on a date but Clara turned him down. When asked why she told Danny that she was seeing someone else. That was the moment that Clara realised that there was only one person for her, Cosima.

"The Island of Doctor Moreau", Cosima chuckled, picking up the discarded book, "you would not believe the trouble I've had with my copy of this".

"Well you made it sound so interesting I just had to try it", Clara replied, wheeling the suitcase into the front room. "So how long are you planning on staying for?"

"Depends how long you'll have me", Cosima bit her lip, "technically I'm not in this country legally, we're still trying to stay under people's radars you know". Cosima made herself comfortable on Clara's sofa.

Clara was more concerned than ever. Cosima wasn't acting like her normal self, something bad had clearly happened, "Cos what's happened?", she stroked Cosima's cheek. The dreadlocked woman didn't respond, instead she just snuggled as close as she could to the school teacher. Clara couldn't help but notice that Cosima was clinging to her for dear life, "What about the others?" Clara asked, "won't the sisters miss you?"

Cosima sighed, "Can't we not talk about this tonight", Clara nodded slowly and traced a few circles on the scientist's ribs in an attempt to soothe her, "everyone's in one piece, let's leave it at that for now".

The pair lay like this for several moments, taking comfort in each other's company. Eventually Clara decided to break the silence, "Since no one knows that you're in the country, how do you plan on getting back?"

She could feel Cosima's head shifting and when Clara looked at her, she could see the scientist staring at her with her big brown eyes, "I was hoping that your time travelling alien friend could help us out".

"Yeah about that", Clara sat up a little straighter, "he's changed since you last met him. Much older, really grumpy and very Scottish. Probably won't like to be used as a taxi service", she could still feel Cosima's puppy dog eye focused on her, "but when the time comes I'll ask him", she added, admitting defeat.

Cosima cheered quietly, "You're the best", she smiled and gently kissed Clara. The moment their lips touched both of them realised that a small taste wouldn't be enough. The dreadlocked woman kissed Clara a little firmer, placing her hand behind her head. Their tongue began to fight for dominance over the other as the kissed deepened between the couple, "Clara", Cosima gasped between kisses, "I think I love you".

There was urgency behind Cosima's words and her actions. Clara shut the conscious side of her brain down and allowed her primal instincts to take control. "I love you too Cos", Clara smiled, forcefully grabbing Cosima by the hips and pulling the scientist on top so she was straddling Clara's waist. Cosima shifted her hips slightly, gently grinding into Clara drawing a moan of pleasure from the school teacher. She leaned forward and kissed her again, first on the lips and then continuing down her jaw line and neck.

Clara grasped the dreadlocked woman's hair, forcefully pulling her head back on to her lips. She nipped gently on her lower lip whilst grinding firmly against Cosima. A wordless gasp fell out of the scientist's mouth and the look of pure desire encouraged Clara to continue. She teased her finger against the waistband of Cosima's trousers before slipping her hand underneath her top, "Now who's the cheeky one", Cosima chuckled. She reached down and pulled her top off, leaving her in just a black lacy bra.

"Someone made an effort", Clara smiled and places a couple of kisses on Cosima's exposed stomach. She was slowly making her way up to the clone's breast when she heard a familiar wheezing noise, "Of all the bloody moments", she ground her teeth together in annoyance.

"Is that?" Cosima noticed a blue Police Box materialising in Clara's front room, "shit shit shit", she swore. She picked her top up off the floor and hastily replaced it just as the TARDIS fully appeared. She leapt out of Clara's lap like she had electrocuted the moment the door opened.

Clara was right, The Doctor certainly had changed since the last time she had seen him. Gone was the young bow tie wearing man and in his place was a grey haired man who appeared to be in his late fifties. He wore a dark blue suit with a round necked top underneath and he had the most impressive pair of eyebrows Cosima had ever seen, "Clara", The Doctor cried with his strong Scottish accent, "thank goodness you're home". His grey eyes then settled on Cosima, it took him a few moments to realise who she was, "Science girl", he added with a smile, "good to see again, you're looking much better".

"Thank you Doctor", Cosima felt a little weird calling this man The Doctor. The Time Lord briefly explained about regeneration but it was bizarre to think this was the same person as she met in Toronto.

"Although you are looking a little flushed", he continued, "elevated heart rate, shortness of breath, could be the sign of a number of things". He sniffed the air loudly, making the pair feel more than a little uncomfortable, "Strange, smells like", a look of realisation flashed across his face, "oh", he looked guiltily at the couple, "I came at the wrong time didn't I?"

"At least one of us did", Cosima grumbled under her breath, drawing a snort of laughter from Clara.

The Doctor stared blankly at the two women, "I don't understand the joke", he said vaguely.

Clara pinched the bridge of her nose, "Just tell us what you're doing here".

"Probably best if I show you", he pushed the door of the TARDIS open. Out of the Police Box stepped a brunette woman dressed in a loose fitting clothes of various pastel shades. Her hair had been roughly cut, probably done by the woman or someone not trained in hairdressing. One half of her hair was swept tightly over the right half of her face and when she moved, you could see some scar tissue covering her cheek. Oddly she carried a checked backpack over one shoulder. The top was open slightly, revealing a laptop.

Clara immediately noticed that this woman was another Leda clone. What she wasn't expecting was for Cosima to recognise her, "Mika?" the dreadlocked woman asked in confusion.

"Hello Cosima", the other clone greeted with a faint Scandinavian accent, "Clara", she added. Veera Suominen tended to avoid using her real name, she preferred to be known simply as MK. Others had adopted Beth's nickname for her of Mika, a name that was slowly growing on the clone from Helsinki.

"Honestly you should all come with labels", The Doctor grumbled, "then perhaps I wouldn't have mistaken this one", he pointed at MK, "for you science girl".

Ignoring the grumpy Time Lord, Cosima leaned forward on the sofa, "Mika, what are you doing here and how did you know where to find me?"

"Your Mrs S uses outdated software", MK mumbled, "too easy to hack". Clara could see that MK was looking at her wearily, she didn't get a chance to ask the Finnish woman what her problem was though, "You shouldn't have run away Cosima".

"I wanted a break from all this shit Mika", Cosima snapped, "Charlotte, Sarah and I nearly died, if it wasn't for Delphine and the islanders-".

Clara held up her hands, "Hang on you nearly died", she glared at Cosima, "and your ex-girlfriend saved your life. You seriously need to fill in some blanks from the last few months".

"Oh we don't have time for that", The Doctor interrupted, "if what this deceitful clone told me is true then we have to hurry". The grey haired Time Lord crouched down a little closer, looking Clara directly in the eyes, "Clara, I need your help", he pleaded.

"To save the planet?" Clara frowned.

The Doctor shook his head, "Something much more important than that. You need to help save the other clones but most importantly", he took a deep breath, "you need to help save yourself". Clara wasn't sure what the Time Lord meant by that and had to grip Cosima's hand tightly. Reluctantly she stood up and entered the TARDIS, closely followed by the other clones. The doors closed and the time ship groaned into life, slowly fading away.

 **THE END?**

 _ **A/N –**_ _Never planned on doing a sequel to this story but when inspiration strikes..._

 _Not sure when it'll be up but keep an eye out over the next few months. Thanks to everyone who comments and liked this story It was my first attempt at Orphan Black fiction and could lead into more in the future. Until next time._


	15. SEQUEL NOW UP

THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE

Calling all followers of this story, there is now a sequel up entitled "Cult of Personality", feel free to check it out. I will remove this "chapter" in the next couple of days.


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